Sex, Lies and Variables
by PixelSparks
Summary: Relationships can grow from the most unlikely events, bringing the most unlikely people together. But rarely are such things simple, as both Egon and Peter discover when thier attentions are drawn to people in thier respective lives that they never expected they'd fall for. [Based on the IDW comics. PeterxRay, EgonxEugene]
1. Realisation

It had all the hallmarks of the end of the world, or the end of New York city, at least.

Egon stared in numb horror at the gargantuan demonic form that now towered over the group of Ghostbusters. It'd started as a cloud made up of the dispersed ghosts, courtesy of a rival company called Ghostsmashers.

But after being called in by Peck and told to pool their strength, even the combined efforts of the original busters plus the rival company formed by conman Ron Alexander hadn't been enough. The mass of formless ghosts had torn free from the traps, forming into a colossal demon like something from a storybook.

Now they all stood staring up at the thing that was hell-bent on destroying their world.

Then the air seemed to crackle and Egon felt a funny shiver run up his spine. He turned in time to see a six-foot and then some reaper figure hovering in the air above them.

"Mine..." it warbled, then it dove towards the massive demon, swinging the scythe to meets its claws as it swung at it. There was a colossal boom, the world seemed to stop then restart and-

-The thing was gone. Just **GONE**. A blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, now the sky was clear again, the sunset fading by the minute.

Egon realised he was shaking, why? Something about that spirit resonated with him…

"What happened?" he croaked, taking staggering steps forward while the others stared silently at the clear skies above, they didn't even try to stop him. He'd made it several steps when a familiar voice met his ears.

"Well, I trapped death in a bag, you see. A wise doctor tried to tell me there would be consequences, and he was right..."

"Eugene?" Egon asked, spinning round and trying to locate the owner of that voice. He felt a hand tap his shoulder and spun round once more, his back to his friends, and face-to-face with Eugene's ghost…

"No, this can't be right." he said hoarsely. Eugene smiled wryly, tapping Egon on the nose.

"I figured you'd have one last "I told you so," left in you." he chuckled.

"I _DID_ tell you so." Egon bleated, eyes wide behind his glasses.

"Atta boy, Eeg. Don't _EVER_ change." Eugene smiled "hey, check this; it turns out death doesn't hold a grudge, that's why he's letting me say goodbye to you."

"Why does he have to take you? This wasn't your fault, that car-" Egon racked his brains for an answer, stricken with an irrational desire to stop his old friend from leaving for a second time. He'd only just found him again, after all these years of hoping for answers. The pavement beneath him began to blur and his head hurt-

"It has to take something, otherwise the equilibrium is gonna be more messed up than the field after a drunken football game." Eugene set a semi-transparent finger under Egon's chin, seeing the older man looking almost heartbroken. "Look at me, Eeg."

Egon reluctantly looked into his friend's eyes, hating to feel so useless at such a crucial moment.

"Can't it take something else?" he whispered emptily.

The others hung back, realising this was a painful meeting for Egon. This guy, whoever he happened to be, was clearly important to Spengler. Ray could tell from Egon's posture that he was barely keeping a lid on his emotions, something Egon usually did flawlessly.

As the moment stretched out between the two of them, a black fog swirled up from around the two to solidify behind Egon. Ray started forward, gripping his gun tightly-

"Wait!" Winston grabbed his elbow, watching the scene.

"Are you crazy?!" Ray stared at Zeddemore "do you see what that thing _IS_?"

"Yeah, a spirit of death. But I don't think it's here to harm Egon. Call it a hunch, but I feel we need to keep out of this." Winston seen Ray hesitate, then the younger Ghostbuster reluctantly switched the pack off. Winston was pretty on the ball with this stuff and he could see his point, even though he feared for Egon's safety.

Witnessing this bizarre conversation, Peter suddenly began lifting random bits of debris and peering under them with a determined expression. Winston waited approximately three seconds then asked what the heck he was doing? Peter blinked, dropped the piece of rebar and looked at Winston, his eyes wide in a mock-innocent look.

"I'm looking for your marbles, Z. Because going by that nonsense, you've lost them! Also, Ron's brain."

"Screw you, Venkman." Ron snarked and Peter just flipped him off.

While they bickered, Egon turned to face the shadowy reaper that had reformed behind him. His breath caught in his throat as he stared up at it. He was scared, yet fascinated, this thing was a facet of death itself. How many people could say they'd seen something like this up close?

"Can't you take something else? Energy is energy-" he began taking his pack off, but the thing shook it's head. Instead, it pointed towards Egon's right pocket. Egon blinked, stared at it for a few seconds, then delved into his uniform's pockets.

Nothing there.

He shook his head, confused, but the reaper continued to point as Egon tapped his fingers against his thighs, then he realised- his regular clothes! Whatever it sought, it was in his pants pocket.

He flung the proton pack aside, doing a frantic reverse of putting his gear on. This involved a lot of flapping of his arms so he didn't fall over...

"Well, can't say I expected him to do that. Which stage of grief is _THAT_ supposed to be?" Ray asked of Peter, who merely shrugged.

"The 'Vodka does not belong in my breakfast cereal' phase, if I'm not mistaken." he said, snickering in amusement.

"I _never_ have a video camera when I need one." Ron snarked, at which point Venkman flipped a rubber band at him, managing to hit him square on the forehead.

"Only _WE_ get to tease the dork." He reprimanded his rival of sorts.

"OW! Venkman, you childish little mother-"

Venkman just laughed, dodging the man's furious punch. Ray turned to watch them run back and forth like a version of a cartoon sketch, involving two grown men acting like children.

Meanwhile, Egon had finally extricated himself from his uniform and thrown it aside. Underneath, he wore a loose-fitting shirt and neatly ironed slacks. He rummaged in the pocket the reaper had bene indicating and pulled out a Gris-Gris charm he'd been carrying around since New Orleans. He blinked vacantly at it, why was the reaper interested in this thing?

It'd been given to him by a voodoo queen, a woman by the name of Marie LaVeau. On a private request, the Ghostbusters had journeyed to New Orleans to help put the vengeful spirit of her daughter to rest, before she tore the place apart.

As Egon had been about to leave the room, the older LaVeau had given him a powerful charm, a red velvet bag with a heart embroidered on it. Egon had asked what it was for and she'd said it was powerful magic, that he'd need it one day. There was more to life then merely breathing after all, there was **LOVE** too.

"You want this?" he asked now, holding up the charm.

"Yes." the spirit whispered, its voice making Egon's skin go cold and causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.

"W-why?" he stammered and the spirit grinned, its mouth like a splash of white paint on its inky face.

"It holds power….power equal to what is mine by right. Surrender it to me and I will release your friend's soul. You shall have him back."

Egon faltered, knowing he should really ask for details, for an exact explanation- but dammit, he wanted to be the reckless, selfish one for a change!

The reaper grinned at Egon "Tick tock, human."

Egon made his mind up and tipped the charm into the reaper's waiting claw. It grinned, closing an inky fist around it.

"Then our deal is done." It whispered and brought its hands together. There was a blinding blast of light and Egon felt the pavement before he even seen it rushing towards him. Time caught up to itself and he groaned, picking himself up with a dazed sneeze.

"Eugene?" he panicked as his mind cleared, bumbling about franticly-

"Oww. Did I get drunk or did I get _DRUNK_?" Eugene asked as he sat up, rubbing his aching head. He seen Egon staring at him in shock and got to his feet. Looking down at himself he realised he was solid once again.

"How...Eeg?" he looked to his friend for answers.

Egon shrugged sheepishly, managing to blurt "I guess he was open to a trade?"

"I'm alive, properly this time! No death-in-a-bag dealie, just a proper second chance…."

Egon stood there, unsure what to say as Eugene stared at his hands like they were an undiscovered theorem.

"This is _AWESOME_! Eeg, you're a genius!"

Egon squeaked as Eugene charged over, the more powerfully-built athlete grabbing him around the middle in a bear hug and swinging him round in a display of celebration.

"Eugene-! I feel sick." Egon blurted.

"Oops." Eugene set him down and hesitantly let go, grabbing his friends shoulders when Egon looked about to fall over again.

"What just happened?" Ray came running over the others not far behind.

"I had something the reaper spirit was willing to take in exchange for releasing Eugene from his debt. That was all." Egon nudged his glasses up his nose as he regained some of his composure.

"You're talking to a tree there, Einstein." Ron snickered, seeing how out of it Spengler seemed.

Another rubber band clipped his ear and he spun round. Venkman raised an eyebrow, looking smug but also looking like he wanted to throw something far heavier next time. Ron grumbled, falling silent, he was already facing trouble from the Mayor, he didn't need an ass kicking to boot!

"Are these your friends, Eeg?' Eugene nudged Egon so the doctor was facing the rest of them and Egon nodded, introducing the rest of his Ghostbusting friends. When it came to Venkman, Eugene thought he recognised the name.

"Yeah, Egon and I have known each other since forever, this little brainiac built the ghost-catching gear after we all got expelled from the university."

"I have got to hear the full version of this." Eugene said, eyes wide.

"Be glad to," Ray chuckled, finding Egon's long-lost friend to be a likeable enough guy, who didn't seem phased by Egon's oddities.

"But first, who wants to go grab a beer before we're up to our nicely-toned asses in paperwork?" Peter asked, getting a few giggles from Ron's female staff and the ever childlike Raymond.

"Beer sounds like heaven, I haven't been drunk in twenty years! Boy, do I feel old." Eugene sighed good-naturedly, grinning at Egon.

"Great! Egon, put your clothes back on before you get arrested and let's go." Venkman smirked.

"I am wearing clothes, Peter." Egon scowled.

"Yeesss, but given the way you did that hilarious strip-tease thing, it feels weird. So cover up and let's gooo!"

Egon rolled his eyes, retrieving his uniform and wriggling back into it before catching up to the others. He finished buckling the proton pack to his back just as Eugene slowed his pace and dropped back to catch his eye and grin. He looked so happy, Egon couldn't help feel light-headed with relief that the deal had been possible.

"Thanks Eeg, I mean it. How did you know that it would listen?" he asked softly. Egon sighed and fell into deep thought, staring at the pavement again as he thought back to why he'd put his life on the line to speak with the reaper…

"I had to try. You said before, in our last confrontation, that you deserved a life. You were right, I couldn't let that thing erase you without at least trying. It was the least course of action I could take."

Eugene nodded, patting Egon's arm gently "well, I owe you big time, Eeg."

Egon glanced up from the pavement, gifting Eugene with a rarely-seen smile before becoming lost in thought again.

"I wonder why it wanted that charm, I still don't fully understand-"

He was cut off by Venkman suddenly spinning on his heel to face him, so he bumped nose-first into the man's shoulder.

"Beer through here, boys and girls!" Venkman gave an elaborate bow, then jabbed Egon's forehead "c'mon, mr serious, let's get hammered!"

Egon rolled his eyes, but followed dutifully after him.

* * *

He had a couple of drinks but didn't say much, just sat watching the others celebrate, even Ron's employees. The man himself had cleared off early, snarling that he'd make them all pay for this. When none of his former employees followed, he'd gotten even angrier and stomped off.

As the night wore on, Venkman thought he sensed someone watching him. When he glanced up for the 5th time, he seen a guy sat at the bar, just glancing away. He kept his face neutral, not reacting as he downed the rest of his drink. Probably just another fan, wouldn't be the first time he'd been stalked by one. Either that, or he was a creepy reporter from some bottom-grade magazine…

-I'm too drunk to care..- he decided, sniggering at his own wisdom.

"Okaayyy, I think Venkman's had enough." Winston rolled his eyes and Ray looked genuinely concerned at how plastered Peter was.

"We'd better get home before he starts dancing on the tables." Stantz giggled and Eugene had to laugh.

"At least he's not taking his clothes off." Winston remarked.

"Har har Winston, but Egon's already gotcha covered there! Or not….covered. At all, ha!" Venkman tried to jab Egon's shoulder, but missed and nearly toppled off the bar stool. Thankfully, Ray caught him and hauled him upright before he could give himself a concussion.

"Hehee." Peter leaned against Ray as he steered him towards the fresh air outside "hay Ray….ya fancy tacos? I wan' tacos..."

"Nooooo." Ray said firmly "You're already gonna have a headache, I don't think you want to be throwing up ALL morning too."

"Don't pamper him, Ray," Winston sighed "you know he always does this."

"Hey, it's just celebrating." Ray shrugged, glancing back at Winston.

"You're a soft touch Ray." Winston sighed, but he dismissed it anyway. Ray was just naturally kind-hearted, he would go to any and all lengths to give someone a hand, so he supposed he couldn't really fault the guy. But guys like Ray were easy targets for manipulative types…

* * *

Egon drove them back to the firehouse, dropping the former Ghost Smasher employees off at the train-station where they'd catch a ride home. He directed Eugene to the phone so he could call his father, suggesting Eugene stay with them tonight, for it was late and driving him home at this hour wasn't the best idea. Plus, he needed to run some tests to make sure he was alright, now he'd been reconstituted.

Eugene spoke with his father, telling him the whole story. He nearly cried in relief to be able to tell his father he was coming home, he'd all but given up hope. If it hadn't been for Egon-

Looking across the expansive entrance hall, he seen the tall, slim figure of his best friend stooped over a workbench as he fixed something on his proton pack.

He nodded as his father asked him a question, then called Egon over.

Egon blinked, looking puzzled as to why he was needed, but he came to stand beside the reception desk regardless as Eugene held out the phone to him.

"Dad wants to speak to you," he said, pressing the handset into Spengler's hand. Wondering what he should say, Egon put the receiver to his ear.

"Mr Visitor?" he asked.

"Egon, dear boy. I don't know how you did it, but you got my Eugene back. "

"It was.." Egon floundered for words, aware of how close Eugene was to him now "it was the least I could do."

"You're a good kid, Egon. Do me a favour and look after my boy, you're the only other link to his old life that he has, he could probably use your support."

Egon felt a funny pang in his chest and nodded, before clearing his throat and speaking "of course, I promise."

"Thanks kiddo, I'll see you when you bring that little troublemaker home. One last favour; tell him to stop making faces at the phone."

Egon blinked and his gaze snapped back to Eugene, who was indeed making goofy faces, like a teenager. Before he could stop himself, he uttered a micro-second long snort of laughter.

He thanked Eugene's father and set the phone down.

"Let me guess, he mentioned the faces?' Eugene grinned at Egon, who smiled faintly and nodded. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he felt oddly light-headed, like there were a million thoughts needing to get out of his head. He offered to show Eugene to the room he'd be sleeping in, after the man started yawning mid-question. Eugene sleepily said that'd be great…

"G'night!" Ray said cheerily, seeming fairly unaffected by the booze. He'd already dragged Peter upstairs to bed, knowing the psychologist would be feeling it in the morning…

* * *

Upstairs, Egon gave Eugene a brief tour of the place, before unlocking the door to his office and stepping inside. Most of one wall was floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, stuffed to overflowing with books and papers. A bed, neatly made and with more books stacked on it occupied one corner, with an equally cluttered desk opposite it.

Egon moved to the bed and began clearing out the books, apologising for the mess.

Eugene studied him as he worked, Egon almost hadn't changed an iota, save for the shift in hairstyle. The last time Eugene had seen him, he'd had it long and wavy around his shoulders. He could still remember his last glimpse of Spengler; neatly pressed shirt and trousers, a sweater tied around his slender shoulders and glasses perched on his nose, intelligent eyes seeing a different world almost…

Many of those same traits still echoed in Egon's body language now, the way his absent gaze moved from the books, to the desk, to the shelf, as he worked out where to put everything.

Eugene sat on the bed once it was vacated, looking around at the office.

"This all your private work?" he asked, giving a low whistle.

Egon nodded, "I keep some of my experiments here so Peter doesn't try to mess with them."

Eugene nodded, Venkman's reputation was shaping up to very bizarre. He was thinking of another question when he spotted something he recognised. "wait, is that our old yearbook?"

"Hm?" Egon blinked, turning his body to face where Eugene pointed. He took the book down, dusting the cover and feeling a funny ache in his chest as he crossed the floor to the bed, holding the book out to Eugene as he perched beside him on the edge of the bed. He sat ramrod straight, hands resting primly on his lap.

"You still remember back then?" He asked and Eugene nodded, flipping through the pages.

"Yep, it's almost like I was never gone. Heh, hey look, you were voted most likely to blow something up!"

Egon smiled a little at Eugene's enthusiasm, he was one of the few Egon could get along with, in regards to a boisterous personality. Besides Venkman and Stantz anyway. And the former could be a bit too much at times…

"If it is any consolation, I HAVE racked up a list of property damages that would embarrass a demolitions expert." he tried to sound flippant, but the attempt fell flat and he winced, he kept silent unless necessary for a reason.

He felt his heart stutter in something approaching relief when Eugene burst out laughing at this, asking if he could get a run down of the best ones sometime? Egon again showed a flicker of a smile and nodded silently.

"The ones the police do or _DON'T_ know about?" he added with a straight face as he adjusted his glasses, prompting more amused laughter. He'd never made anybody laugh before, not like this. It was a nice change, he decided.

"How did you get into all this ghost stuff, if you don't mind me asking?" Eugene said after a moments silence. Egon blinked, snapping out of his daze and blinking innocently at his long-lost friend.

"The Ghostbusting? Well..."

He drummed his fingers on his thighs as he wondered where to start, then spoke softly as he stared at the yearbook cover. Eugene deserved the truth, so he started with the basic facts.

"It was after you vanished. I could not explain how you just disappeared, so I threw myself into researching a reason. It led me to study parapsychology, the science of ghosts, in the hope of tracking you down. But whilst I made significant advances in spectral research, eventually I was forced to admit defeat when most of my research led to naught and I got kicked out of the university. But the Gozer incident happened and I realised just how deep this whole thing went, so I re-opened my old studies to work on when I wasn't busting ghosts. I seen you at the crosswalk that first day and thought I had finally lost my mind. But the readings said you were real, so I went round to your house to see for myself."

"Where we bickered like a couple of kids." Eugene set a hand on Egon's shoulder, smiling wryly. Egon blinked at him, tired eyes framed by his spectacles.

"It was brash of me to just storm in, it just didn't make sense, given what I'd seen over the years." Egon sighed, tapping his fingers on his legs again, staring at the dirt from the fight and the frayed edge of his shirt sleeve, his gaze hopping from one minor detail to the next.

"I acted like a pretty big jerk too, I knew you had a point but I was just too bitter that you wanted to take away my second chance-"

"I'm sorry!" Egon winced as he got to his feet, busying himself with straightening his books and once again nudging his glasses back into place.

Eugene glanced around, spotted a screwdriver and scooped it up.

"C'mere. I can fix those for you." he said and Egon blinked, guilt warring with the millions of questions racing around his head as he stared blankly at Eugene.

"I'm not mad at you, Eeg. You were doing what was best, you already worked out what was wrong, I just didn't want to listen because I was scared. Everything had changed and I felt like I'd emerged in the wrong universe, where nothing I used to know remained. Then you blasted half the kitchen wall and set the curtains on fire, and I'd never been so happy to see a familiar face."

He reached up and easily snagged Egon's glasses in one smooth motion. He sat down on the bed again, carefully readjusting the glasses with the screwdriver. Egon blinked fuzzily, keeping an eye on the blur that was his felt oddly vulnerable when he couldn't see, the world lost its clarity and with it, his assurance…

"I knew you were right, but it took up until tonight before I realised just how selfish I was being, demanding to keep my life when thousands of others were in danger."

"It's not selfish to want to live, Eugene." Egon said, squinting in the light of the desk lamp.

"Well, thanks to you I got a legitimate second chance at it. Now, hold still..."

Egon fidgeted in place as his glasses were set on his face once more and the world came into focus. He felt the warmth of Eugenes hands as they brushed his face, the other man stepping back to check he'd fixed the glasses right.

"Better?" he asked Egon, who was staring glassily at him. He looked so unusually fragile in that moment. The whole event, the death spirit and the events preceding its invasion, it'd taken a lot out of Eeg.

Egon kicked himself mentally and nodded, stammering a thank you. What was WRONG with him?! He seen Eugene smile kindly now as he looked at him, and it only made him feel even more lost. He was just relieved his old friend was alive, glad they were talking again after their bitter argument last time...

"Egon, the night I disappeared, there was something I wanted to tell you."

Egon titled his head a fraction, brow furrowed and lips slightly parted. His hair had gotten mussed by the shenanigans of the bight, one stray curl brushing his cheek now, disturbed by the slight movement. Unable to help himself, Eugene moved to tuck it behind Egon's ear, the way the doctor himself had used to.

Egon's heart hammered anxiously at his chest as his mind flashed back, recalling the way Eugene had smiled at him as they'd left the crowds behind, strolled along by the new occult bookstore…

* * *

 _ **"Did you see the girl at the bar?" Eugene asked his friend as they walked. Egon, his arms wrapped around a massive textbook with well-thumbed pages, stared up at Eugene as the light reflected off his glasses, shielding the dark grey eyes behind them.**_

 _ **"Was I supposed to?" he asked, making Eugene chuckle.**_

 _ **"She barely took her eyes off you all night, if I didn't know better, I'd say she was hoping you'd go talk to her."**_

 _ **"About what? I don't even know her." Egon looked flustered, this line of questioning made no sense. "besides, I endured that noisy establishment because I promised YOU. A strangers constant staring bears no relevance, unless you think the police need be involved?" He stared ahead of them down the street, lit by pools of orange light. The night was quiet, all sound muted by their distance from the campus.**_

 _ **"No Eeg, no cops needed." Eugene chuckled, ruffling Egon's wavy dark hair. Spengler had classical good looks, a narrow body frame and angular features. He was by far, the most alluring thing in Eugene's mind. He felt his stomach cramp nervously, this whole night had been an attempt to pull himself together to finally tell Egon the truth…**_

 _ **Egon's stomach rumbled and he actually flushed slightly, looking embarrassed.**_

 _ **"Whoops, someone needs a late-night take out."**_

 _ **"That junk food is extremely unhealthy and wont do my insides any good." Egon said stoutly.**_

 _ **Eugene bit his lip, waited, then asked;**_

 _ **"Tacos or fried chicken?"**_

 ** _"….Chicken." Egon said at last, clutching onto his book as if afraid he'd loose grip on reality and come untethered without it. He cast a small, reserved smile at Eugene from behind the curtain of hair. Eugene chuckled, indicating the traffic lights ahead. They were just starting to turn green.._**

 _ **"Race ya!" he laughed, sprinting ahead. He heard Egon make an annoyed noise, but soon the tap of his loafers rang in time with Eugenes.**_

 _ **He reached the road first and behind him, he heard Egon cry out sharply in warning-**_

* * *

"Eugene.." Egon said huskily, unsure what the secret was, but all too aware of how the world tipped on a knife edge, above a yawning abyss years deep...

What stuck in his mind was the way Eugene had ruffled his hair, how brightly he'd beamed when Egon managed a stilted, awkward smile…

They were only inches apart now and Egon suddenly noticed how GOOD Eugene smelled, how comfortable he felt standing this close. Proximity and contact had never given him reason to falter before, he usually dismissed them like an irritating insect. So why did he freeze now, his composure starting to crack-

"I-I need to fetch some clothes, you can't sleep in those ones. I shall be back in a minute." he blurted, curving his body in an effort to shield himself, arms wrapping around his middle.

He both heard and felt Eugene's disappointment in his faint "Oh, sure." as Egon ducked his head and slipped towards the door.

* * *

Egon darted away down the hall, head a mess and silently scolding himself for being stupid. He was just letting his shock and confusion after the days battle, mess with his head. Eugene was his friend, he didn't want to drive him away. He'd been all too aware of how Eugene's "real" friends had viewed him.

 _ **"That dork, Spengler."**_

 _ **"The ice prince. Heard the dude's frigid…"**_

 _ **"The guy's a weirdo, Eugene, why do you hang around with him? I don't think he even knows what fun is!"**_

But despite their differences in subject matter, Egon had found Eugene pleasant to talk to, ever since that first meeting. He was smarter then his other friends on the team, able to read the scribblings in Egon's notebook and work out the formula. When Egon had expressed his surprise, Eugene had said it was a bit of a fluke, he wasn't THAT great at maths. Egon, a confirmed polymath as the whole school knew, offered to teach him.

* * *

 _ **When Eugene, after a gruelling session in which he'd goofed up repeatedly on the equations, asked why Egon persisted on helping him, Egon had looked at him and stated;**_

 _ **"Because you're smarter then you give yourself credit. Also, I enjoy having someone to converse with."**_

 _ **"You cant be that desperate, a guy like you must have other brainy friends."**_

 _ **"I don't socialise." Egon said stiffly "other people find me bothersome."**_

 _ **Eugene had looked completely baffled, asking him why? Egon hadn't reacted at all, hadn't gotten upset or flustered, merely stated the truth once more;**_

 _ **"Because I'm a genius. I point out fallacies people work hard to hide, I don't drink myself into a stupor and play 'beer pong'. I simply prefer my books, that is all. There's no point in having a conversation when the other party neither understands, nor cares."**_

 _ **"I'm a champion at beer pong." Eugene chuckled "the golden rule is; 'It's not a good night unless someone wakes up with a traffic cone."**_

 _ **"How does a piece of road maintenance equipment set the bar for such entertainment?" Egon had looked so adorably confused that Eugene had grinned, deciding he definitely liked this odd fellow.**_

 _ **"Tell you what;" he said, leaning forward on his elbows "I'll show you how to deal with other people and help you find your own idea of fun, if you can continue trying to persuade my jock brain to do math."**_

 _ **Egon had regarded him with genuine surprise, but something in his distant expression had shifted just a little and he'd nodded silently.**_

 _ **Eugene had grinned, quoting an old movie and saying "this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."**_

 _ **That was the first time Egon had ever smiled at him.**_

* * *

Egon shook his head. Was he letting the years of loss get to him? Because he blamed himself, deep down?

After the loss of his only friend, he'd spent days poring over the facts, wondering if his presence in Eugene's life had been to blame? Why else would a popular guy have gone to the least rowdy bar on the campus when he could've gone to the big clubs?

He'd spent so long thinking that he'd never see Eugene again, turning the world away and focusing solely on his studies, that he'd forgotten what companionship **WAS** until a goofy, talkative guy named Raymond Stantz had come bounding up to him, eyes bright and a grin on his face, asking if he was THE Egon, the genius maths guy? He needed tutoring….

After that, Egon had met Ray's other friend, Peter Venkman. The guy was a loudmouth, obnoxious and cheeky, but something in his mannerisms made Egon think of Eugene, so he'd allowed these two to become something approximating friends.

When his failed conversations with the women that had waltzed up to him at University and flirted with him had always resulted in him saying something to upset them, he'd come to the conclusion he was either aromantic, or simply asexual. He clearly had no inclination to date, for leisure or science. The tests he ran confirmed something else, however, something far more...sensational.

Alone in his room while the others around him went out partying, he'd studied textbooks on how the human body handled such arousal and had realised yet another problem. His IQ wasn't the only thing that registered off the charts; certain other stimulate did too…

At that point in his life, he'd simply shut that part of his mind down, discarding it like trash. Or so he'd assumed.

* * *

"Eeg? You OK?" Eugene asked, sounding genuinely concerned when his friend returned. Egon nodded, any traces of insecurity gone now, he was back to his impeccable self. He gave Eugene the clothes, apologising for keeping him up with his ramblings.

"I'm afraid my brain is a little disjointed after contact with that spectre. I need to study the readouts I gained, I shall leave you to sleep."

"If you're sure, Eeg." Eugene managed to sound upbeat, even as he watched Egon shut himself off, just as he had when Eugene had first met him.

-Eeg, why do you do this to yourself? You don't blame yourself for my disappearance, do you?-

"What happened that night-" he began, but Egon just shook his head sharply.

"There is no need to discuss it, you should get some sleep. Recent events have been hard on you and further discussion will only heighten stress levels."

"You always did know this stuff, Eeg." Eugene said softly, managing a weak smile.

Egon clutched his sides tightly, feeling his ribs constricting under the pressure. He turned and strode towards the door, but then he hesitated as he stood on the threshold.

"I'm happy you're back," he said softly "I'm sorry if I caused any annoyance, I will see you at breakfast."

Eugene sighed as he sat on the bed, after Egon left. He'd come so close to admitting it.

-I LIKE you, Egon Spengler..-

* * *

By this time, Ray and Winston were getting into their own beds in the communal sleeping area. Peter was fast asleep, snoring to boot.

"Where's Egon got to?" Winston asked "even HE'S got to be tired. He isn't STILL catching up with his friend, is he? It's 2 am!"

Ray opened his mouth to give his best guess when Peter snickered and rolled over in his sleep, making a noise like "mhhrr.." and Stantz had to clap a hand over his mouth to refrain from laughing out loud.

"Seriously, does he process innuendoes in his sleep?" Winston shook his head in disbelief while Ray chuckled softly behind his hand.

"Egon's probably working, he must have data out the wazoo to process and you know what he's like." Ray said at last, as he burrowed under the covers and yawned softly. Winston grunted by way of an answer and they were soon asleep.

But Egon never returned to bed that night, choosing to seclude himself in the lab where his projects awaited, various bits of machinery and theories covering the whiteboard and tables.

* * *

Sure enough, Peter woke up with a headache of epicly bad levels. He whimpered in pain when Winston opened the blinds and let the acidic sunshine pour in.

"Winston, you %$!" Peter ended his sentence with a snarl of pain.

"That's what you get for being a total lush, Pete." Winston snickered, at which point Peter gave him some choice obscenities and he was finally, mercifully, left alone. He pulled the covers over his head and groaned, why wouldn't that woodpecker with the pneumatic drill go sod off?!

* * *

"Hay, guess what?" Winston announced as he walked into the kitchen, seeing Eugene and Ray already there "Venkman's hungover. I told him so!"

"Oh." Ray said, wincing. He had a minor headache himself, but he was otherwise fine "he DOES get carried away, doesn't he?"

"Yes, which is why you should just leave him to suffer, Ray." Winston said, purposefully blocking the drawer where they kept the painkillers "he's like a teenager, he won't learn if you keep helping him."

Ray rolled his eyes, polished off his bacon sandwich a minute later and mumbled something about being sorry for wanting to help. He hopped down from his chair, snagging a slice of toast to go and mumbling about a shower as he strolled out.

"Worries a lot, does he?" Eugene asked, curious at how opposite Ray and this Venkman guy seemed, yet they'd clearly been friends for years.

"Yeah," Winston chuckled ruefully, shaking his head "Ray's a great guy, who wont hesitate to give ya a hand, but sometimes that generosity comes back to bite him."

They heard footsteps upstairs and the sound of the water running. Winston relaxed, it seemed like Ray had actually listened for once.

If only he knew.

* * *

Upstairs, Ray turned the shower on then snuck down to his own office, retrieving a packet of painkillers and a bottle of water from the fridge where he usually kept cold samples, although for now it was empty and disinfected. Made for a great place to keep sandwiches!

He crept quickly back to the bedroom area, slipping the tablets and bottle under the huddle of covers that was Venkman. A muffled grunt, loosely sounding like a thank you, met his ears and he smiled before sneaking quickly back to his shower.

-Smooth.- he grinned to himself as he ducked under the spray of water, knowing Winston would just chide him for it if he found out, but he didn't care.

* * *

Eugene wondered where Egon was and was about to ask Winston when the man wandered in yawning softly. He apparently hadn't changed his clothes, just slung a lab coat over them. There were bags under his eyes and he seemed zoned out.

"Eeg?" Eugene stood in front of him and waved a hand in his face. Egon yelped and back-peddled rapidly, nearly falling over onto his rear, had Eugene not grabbed his hand. He felt his heart tense as he let his friend steady him, before freeing his hand with his usual awkward finesse.

"Sorry," he said "my mind was elsewhere."

"Were you up all night, again?" Winston shook his head "you gotta sleep sometime, my man, it's not healthy."

"I told you, it's a polyphasic sleep schedule. I get what I need, it just means I don't waste time lying in bed for hours on end."

"Lying in bed is _NOT_ a waste of time." A tired voice broke in and Venkman, looking wiped out, flopped into a chair and slumped across the table.

"Winston, coffee?" he whined, earning a snort of amusement from the former marine.

"Get it yourself lazyass." He said and Peter sighed heavily, making an annoyed noise just as Ray walked back in, fully dressed in his uniform.

"Hey Peter." he said chirpily and Venkman groaned in response.

"Headache?" Ray asked.

"Mmmh."

"Try drinking water instead of coffee, it'll get it out of your system faster."

"Bleh." Peter replied, to which Ray just chuckled and headed downstairs.

Egon rolled his eyes, apparently unmoved by Venkman's whining. Eugene watched them, drawn in by the way they got along, despite their mismatched personalities. He felt kind of envious, but also relieved that Eeg had made new friends after he had disappeared.

"Did you sleep well?" Egon asked, to change the subject. Eugene stared blankly at the doctor before him, finally nodding.

"Yup, slept like a log." he smiled and thought he seen Egon's facade soften just a little.

Then a loud clanging rang out, making Venkman call someone, somewhere, a very unsavoury term and suggesting an activity they could do with a broom handle. Eugene snorted with laughter, watching as the others scrambled about, pulling on their uniforms and racing downstairs. Venkman seen Eugene eyeing the fireman's pole and raised an eyebrow as if to say "go ahead, you know you're gonna."

* * *

"Whee!"

Egon looked over his shoulder as Eugene evidently found the fireman's pole.

"This things great!" the athlete grinned at Egon, who blinked, feeling the rare urge to laugh.

"Huh, reminds me of you Ray." Peter mused, as he strolled up to the car. Ray grinned happily, he could still recall that first day that he'd set eyes on the firehouse they now called a second home.

Eugene watched them go, only then noticing a red-haired woman sat at the desk.

"You must be Janine!" he said brightly, holding out a hand as he strolled over "Ray mentioned you. I'm Eugene, Eugene Visitor, old school buddy of Eeg's."

Janine eyed him up, so this was the guy Egon had been talking about when shed dropped into his lab, before the others were awake.

-Eeg? How cute, he nicknamed him! I wonder…— she suppressed her overactive imagination, but there was just something about this guy...

"Nice ta meet ya," she drawled "welcome to the madhouse."

"Eh, I survived college, how bad can it be?" Eugene joked, making her smile wryly.

* * *

Eugene was back in Egon's office when he heard the Ghostbusters' return. He stared at the yearbook awhile longer, before deciding he needed to come clean with Egon. He'd called his father, who had been delighted to hear he was doing alright and said he looked forward to hearing the whole story that night.

At least this way, if he botched things with Egon, he wouldn't be hanging around his best friends workplace and making things even more awkward.

He walked down the hall, finding the lab he recalled from the previous night's tour. Sure enough, Egon was right back at work. Eugene felt a surge of mild shame as he caught himself admiring the way that uniform creased and clung to Egon's body. He had to sort this out, being reunited with his friend was only making the feelings stronger…

"Eeg?" he asked at last and Egon blinked, looking at him over his shoulder.

"Eugene," he managed a faint smile "is everything alright?"

"Well, yes and no." Eugene came to stand beside him, studying Egon's tired expression.

"What's the matter? Do you feel unwell? I should run a scan-" Egon picked up his PKE meter and was about to flip it on when Eugene's hand closed over his, and he heard the breath catch in his throat as everything he'd fought to suppress tore its claws into his defences.

"I'm not sick, Eeg. But I owe you an explanation for last night-"

"It's nothing to worry about. My assumptions become illogical when dealing with high-level entities. Returning like that was a shock-"

"Eeg, come on. You know what I'm talking about, the night I disappeared I was trying to-"

"You were trying to cheer _ME_ up and because of me, you missed most of your life!" Egon said sharply, pulling away from Eugene and putting the PKE meter down with a faint clatter. For a moment he felt his composure bend under the childish desire to shout and cry as if it'd make it all go away. He straightened his uniform, concentrating on imaginary creases even as he tried to stumble away.

"What happened wasn't _YOUR_ fault, Eeg!" Eugene blocked his escape, grasping his friends shoulders. Egon looked up at him, the stress visible in his eyes and the set of his mouth. Eugene couldn't refrain from brushing the tips of his fingers against Egon's cheek, seeing the doctor tense as a faint flush of colour appeared in his cheeks.

"It wasn't some pity act, I know I made a deal that day in the library, but it wasn't just the math help that I enjoyed. Most of my other friends were obsessed with surface appearances, most of them acted dumb as rocks. But you? You were smart, you gave me the opportunity to actually use my brain. I honestly thought it'd atrophy, before I ran into you. Sure, I was majoring in sports, dad didn't think I quite had the skills to make it as a scientist, so I settled on my other strength, kicking a ball about."

"You weren't bothered by me?" Egon asked. He didn't understand, he'd always assumed Eugene had merely been honouring his end of the deal, but he'd hung out with Egon even **AFTER** passing his math exam..

"Nope." Eugeen grinned faintly.

"But I chanced to overhear your other companions debating what reason you could have for a "cold, unemotional weirdo.' You did yourself no favours with the rest of the student body-"

"To heck with them! That night we went to the bar, I was willing to risk a lot more-"

"For what? And why?" Egon was in over his head now and he knew it. Years of work to corral his sentimental side was cracking at the edges.

"For _YOU_." Eugene sighed, letting his hands fall back to his side as he pretended to be reading Egon's lates theory on the whiteboard "I know you seen me hanging about with those cheerleaders, but it was never anything serious."

Egon's eyes widened a fraction and he felt his face reddening as he stared at the back of Eugene's head. His hair had a soft curl to it, long enough to brush his shoulders and Egon was struck by the strangest urge to run his hands through it. Feeling his hands twitch at his sides, he clamped them tighter to his body and cleared his throat, asking "you prefer-?"

"Other guys, yeah. This is where you can freak out and run if you want; I just wanted to finally tell you what I was thinking about at the bar. I was gonna tell you I had a crush on you, even if you hated me afterwards." Eugene turned to face Egon now, shrugging sheepishly.

Egon didn't know what to say, did this mean he hadn't been misreading the signals from last night? Had his own responses been….acceptable, then?

"Why me?" he asked at last, staring blankly and suddenly incapable of his usual repartee.

"Because you were so straight-forward. You never hid behind a front like every other friend I had, even if it was mildly insulting, you were honest with me. Not gonna lie Eeg, you did wind me up once or twice, but it was so refreshing compared to those loud, brainless goons I shared a field with that I started to like hanging out with you more and more. I admired that you were so sure of everything, I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life after college, but you had it all planned out."

'Not really." Egon uttered a dry laugh "I went from physics to parapsychology, then ended up hunting ghosts. None of my plans involved that."

-None of my plans involved assuming my best friend was hitting on me after I helped him get his life back, either. Et tu, universe?—

"I need a bigger chart." he groaned, bracing his forehead with the heel of his palm.

Eugene smiled, tentatively approaching Egon again and resting a hand on his arm. Egon didn't back away, he seemed lost in thought.

"I'm gonna go for broke here, Eeg. Can I kiss you?"

Egon felt his slowly recovering composure drop to minus levels as he moved his hand away from his face. He didn't know what to do, save think that the idea was not unwelcome, per se.

"A-alright." he said, wincing at the stutter in his voice. Gentle fingers titled his chin up, they were so close Egon could barely concentrate. He closed his eyes, wondering if he was losing his mind-

Eugenes lips were warm and soft. He tasted faintly of coffee and sugar, a mix of sharp and sweet that made Egon feel a little light-headed. Eugene's hand brushed his side now as they kissed, resting atop his uniform-

Egon felt like that time he'd tested electric shocks on himself, only this felt more…sensual.

The word was like a firework going off in his head and he panicked, feeling a nudge of regret as he broke the kiss. That other problem he'd discovered in college reared up in the forefront of his mind and he told himself to calm down- Eugene couldn't know-!

"Eeg?" Eugene looked into Egon's eyes, seeing a maelstrom of emotions fighting it out behind their cool grey gaze. Egon swallowed nervously, fluttering his hands at his side again.

"Eugene, you...you should find someone else. My evidence has pointed to my ability to concede to emotional vulnerabilities being non-existent." somehow he kept his voice from cracking as he stepped back, telling himself this was the truth. Eugene was a good guy, he needed to find someone who was like him, someone outgoing and sociable.

"Egon." Eugene said firmly "just listen-"

"I'm sorry. If you want to go home, just speak to Ray, he should have Ecto-1 fixed by this evening."

Eugene felt his heart sink as he seen Egon close off again. He knew Egon struggled with connecting to other people, he'd always been in his own world. But Eugene was sure he'd started to coax him out of it that night at the bar…

"Okay Eeg, I'll leave you to your work. I'm sorry I freaked you out, I just wanted to come clean after all this time. I realise I should've told you before, but I was too busy being mad at you that day." that said, he stuffed his hand sin his pockets and walked out of the lab.

Left behind, Egon didn't move for several minutes, guilt warring with the sensations that brief kiss had stirred up.

* * *

Egon kept to himself the rest of that day and Eugene wound up helping Ray fix the car, known as Ecto-1 according to the enthusiastic doctor. He himself was pretty good with motors and the like, he'd fixed his dad's car all the time, back in college.

Peter wandered past them at one point, dressed in casual clothes, a fancy jacket and saying something about going drinking.

* * *

Ray noticed that Eugene seemed oddly quiet on the drive back to his fathers place. He chanced asking if everything was OK?

"Yeah, it's fine. Just feels weird, having my life back and seeing Egon again. In some ways he hasn't changed a bit."

"I'm sorry he spent most of his time shut up in his office," Ray added as they bumped along a more rural road "he gets caught up in his research and often forgets the world exists. Peter tried setting him up on blind dates but he didn't get on with the idea."

"I see." Eugene said absently "he does seem very self-sufficient."

"Yeah, but I wonder sometimes if he isn't a little bit lonely? Even geniuses must want a break from thinking, right?" Ray smiled and Eugene nodded. He thought about asking this amicable Ghostbuster about Egon, but decided against it. Egon had seemed uncomfortable enough after that kiss...

* * *

Ray decided to stop by his old bookshop after dropping Egon's friend home, he wanted to grab a few things and it was on his way. He parked a few blocks away, ran to the shop, crammed what he needed into a satchel and locked up behind him. He hummed softly as he jogged down the pavement, not wanting to keep Ecto-1 away from HQ for long, just in case.

He stopped abruptly as he fancied he heard a voice he recognised, carried by the wind and drizzling rain. He glanced around, thinking he had to have been mistaken and was all set to move on when he caught a flash of material he recognised.

It was Peter. He was standing in the shadows of a club entrance and at first Ray thought he was alone, but then a figure melted out fo the shadows, stepping close to venkman and taking a swig from his drink. He then pressed Venkman back against the low-lit brick wall and kissed him!

Ray couldn't move, he just...stood there.

-Venkman. Guy. Kissing? Peter. Guys?- his short circuiting mind could only dredge up a few words, stuck on repeat. He didn't know why HE was blushing now- well, not that he was admitting to himself anyway.

The stranger had ceased kissing Venkman for now, but going by Peter's sultry smile and the way his eyes were half-closed in pleasure, he clearly enjoyed it. As Ray watched, the stranger traced Peter's lower lip with his thumb, before kissing him again, even deeper then before. When he let Venkman go, he spoke softly to him but Ray had learnt to read lips.

"Are you sure I can't tempt you with another round, doctor?"

Somehow Ray didn't think he meant round of **BEER**.

Peter shook his head saying he couldn't…

Ray realised he should probably move and finally felt the surprise wear off enough that he could step forward. But just as he took that first step, Venkman caught the flicker of movement and glanced over languidly. He froze as their eyes locked across the drizzly, chilly night.

Ray seen a flash of something like anger or disdain flash over Peter's face and he straightened up, murmuring something to the man he'd been kissing- taking his eyes off Ray for the moment...

* * *

Ray took off running then, finding Ecto-1 and driving blindly home. He scuttled down to his own office, trying so very hard not to panic. Peter was gonna be PISSED, he didn't like anyone getting involved in his personal life. The knowledge he had now sent Ray into a silent shock, even though he knew Peter was a total and shameless flirt. But he'd always flirted with the ladies, at least as far as any of them knew. When had he started looking to other guys for company?

No matter what Ray thought, he knew Peter was going to come looking for him. He'd seen the look on Venkman's face, that cold fury that was usually reserved for the most annoying spirits or Walter Peck.

Deep down, Ray knew fear wasn't the only feeling that he wrestled with, but he was too stunned to give it any further thought. He was in enough trouble as it was…

He barely slept that night, lying awake and feeling his stomach lurch every time he tried to imagine how a talk with Peter would go. Would Venkman believe that Ray would never expose something so close to him?

He didn't hear Peter come back, eventually falling into a deeper sleep…


	2. Secrecy

Ray woke up shortly before breakfast, creeping nervously out the door and down to the bathroom. He didn't see any sign of Venkman and felt himself begin to relax as he took a shower and wrapped himself in a thick, fluffy towel. He strolled back into his office, humming a tune as he shut the door behind him-

"About time."

Ray felt his throat go dry and he blinked vacantly at Peter, who stood leaning against Ray's office desk with arms folded over his chest, eyes steely and unforgiving.

Ray squeaked and spun on his heel to wrestle the door open, but Peter moved like a panther and barrelled across the gap between them with barely a sound, hand snapping out past Ray's head and pushing the door shut. Ray turned, backing up against the door. Peter was literally on the warpath now….

"I'm not even going to ask what you were doing in _THAT_ part of town-" Peter began, and Ray immediately tried to calm him down.

"I went to my shop after dropping Egon's friend home, I-I wanted the tax forms-" Ray babbled "I thought I'd take a shortcut back to where I parked Ecto-1. I didn't know there was a club there now, explains why the parking was so bad-"

A faint growl from Venkman cut him off and Ray wilted back against the door, unsure what else to do? He'd rarely seen Peter this upset, was he afraid-?

Peter was close enough that he could subtly see how Venkman's chest rose and fell rapidly, his body language didn't show the usual control Peter possessed.

Peter read the sympathy and curiosity on Ray's face, realised that the perceptive Stantz was going to work something out and glared at him once more, even as his heart slammed against his ribcage in panic.

"I suggest you forget whatever you thought you saw, Ray." he said icily, trying to ignore the plaintive look on Stantz's face, but part of him wavered, chiding him for leaning on his friend this way. He couldn't risk anything, not even bearing Ray's loyal nature in mind…

Ray didn't speak, just nodded. Peter stepped back, waiting until Ray moved away from the door and then stormed out of it.

* * *

Alone in his office, Ray felt a prickle of sadness. Did Peter really think he'd be so cruel as to blab about this? Peter was a natural cynic, but he'd never been this cold before. Something about this had him scared, was it because it was something so...intimate?

He felt sorry for himself, but part of him was also worried for Peter. A person didn't act that uneasy unless they were on the verge of panic.

* * *

"Where's Ray?" Winston asked, as he threw more bacon into the pan "usually the smell of food is enough to drag him outta bed."

Peter grunted noncomittedly, but inside his head he wondered if he'd been too harsh on Ray. He couldn't get that look of sadness out of his head. He knew it didn't justify a thing, but he knew he had to make sure the truth stayed secret right now, until he could work something out to cover his bases better.

He went to have a shower, running last night through his mind…

* * *

 _ **He'd gone to that new club he'd been hearing about from a friend at the bar where they'd all celebrated defeating that massive ghost. He'd heard it was a nice joint, where nobody asked questions and people made out in the shadowy privacy of the booths. He had been sitting at the bar for a while, before he seen that same guy from the other bar take up the seat next to him.**_

 _ **"Who are you?" Peter asked "You were staring at me at the other place, too. If you're looking for an autograph, forget it, I get enough of that crap on the job."**_

 _ **"I'm not after that." the strangers voice was like silk, and Peter fancied he could feel the man's eyes like ghostly hands as they travelled up his body.**_

 _ **Peter raised an eyebrow, the smoky interior of the club lending everything a surreal air. How best to handle this..? He wasn't in the mood for another fanboy right now...**_

 _ **"Heh, that's real cute kid, but you're barking up the wrong tree-"**_

 _ **"I'm not," the stranger smiled knowingly "I partied a lot prior to taking over this place and I recognise you from a couple of my favourite hotspots."**_

 _ **"You own this place? Pretty plush setup kid, gotta hand you that." Peter said absently, as he downed the rest of his beer.**_

 _ **The man gestured to the bartender and soon two glasses of expensive import beer were set down before each of them. Peter raised a cynical eyebrow and the stranger chuckled.**_

 _ **"At least let me buy you a drink, Dr Venkman."**_

 _ **Figures, Peter thought, the guy had recognised him from the magazines or TV. Yup, total fanboy, yet another guy wanting in his pants because he was famous-**_

 _ **He took a swig of his drink regardless, wondering how to let this one down-**_

 _ **"Just to make myself clear, don't mistake this for an attempt to get into your uniform, Doctor V."**_

 _ **He had to try not to laugh as Venkman nearly choked on his drink, it seemed he'd read the doctors mood like a book. He carried on without missing a beat, as Venkman recovered from the surprise.**_

 _ **"But I will admit that I've admired your work for quite awhile now. My old man used to study ghosts before becoming a bartender, he was obsessed with messing with the spirit world. I think it was an early mid life crisis to be truthful. But what you and your boys do, thats the real deal. Not screwing about with a oujia board-"**_

 _ **"Ugh, don't mention THOSE." Peter groused "we've had enough run-ins with those things, thanks to kids messing about and wearing the barrier between worlds even thinner. I feel like smacking them upside the head, but apparently that's a no go." he rolled his eyes and sighed.**_

 _ **The stranger chuckled, before holding out his hand to him "Ivan Rhodes."**_

 _ **"Peter Venkman, duh."**_

 _ **"Heh, I'm familiar with all of you Ghostbusters, you're the celebrities of the spooks or so I hear."**_

 _ **"Pfft,-" Peter snorted "most of them hate our guts. We ARE usually ruining their plans for world domination after all."**_

 _ **"There's something to be said for the thrill of domination, after all. Totally shameless flirting, by the way." Ivan said with a seductive lilt to his voice as he flashed a brazen grin. He seen Venkman flush just a little, could tell from the minor shift in his body language that he was interested. He pushed on, taking a sip of his beer and grinning inside when Venkman finally seemed to relax.**_

 _ **"That your thing is it, huh?" Peter challenged.**_

 _ **"One of many. I confess that I am drawn to the confident type and you, doctor, seem all but fearless."**_

 _ **Peter's heart jumped slightly, seeing the unfiltered way this guy looked at him. "Comes with the job. You cant let a spook see you scared."**_

 _ **"Fascinating.." Ivan smiled, using the charms that few men OR women could resist. "yet I must know; are the stories the papers tell true? Demons, elder gods…?"**_

 ** _"All of the above." Venkman said "and then some!"_**

 ** _Glancing at the crowd pressing in around them as the club grew busier, Ivan gestured to a private booth, asking if he might have Venkman's attention to himself?_**

 _ **Peter knew he was being hit on, 'Ivan' had made it very clear he found him interesting and something in him was drawn to the way this guy looked at him. He said he found power and confidence sexy, didn't he? Peter's ego couldn't help but respond to the attention, feeding off the fact the owner of the bar had zeroed in on HIM.**_

 _ **So he allowed himself to enjoy the seduction as they sat in the private booth, answering the curious questions about his job and gradually warming up to his new 'friend'. The gentle brush of a hand over his sent a jolt up his spine as Ivan moved incrementally closer to him. It'd been a long time since he'd entertained anyone, after all...**_

 _ **So when his new friend moved to kiss him, Peter didn't hesitate. The kiss was hot, passionate but also far more soft than Peter was used to. Normally these sorts of things were blurred by the influence of alcohol, as he and whoever he was with indulged in their baser instincts.**_

 _ **Ivan nipped at his lower lip and Peter groaned, that always made him shiver. He was let go a moment later, seeing the amorous gleam in his new friend's eyes as they parted enough for their eyes to meet. His hand moved to rest on Venkman's thigh, the featherlight caress only making Peter want more. He pulled Ivan towards him and returned the kiss with not a small hint of arousal, hearing the other man groan eagerly. As his tongue explored the Ghostbuster's mouth, Ivan's hand squeezed Peter's leg firmly, making him moan into the kiss-**_

 _ **"Sir."**_

 _ **Peter blinked, feeling a stab of annoyance as someone broke into their personal space, making Ivan pull back from the lip-lock. Venkman's lips tingled and he heard the anger in Ivan's voice as he addressed this interruption, felt it in the way the hand on his leg under the table tensed subtly.**_

 _ **"You're needed in back, I'm afraid it's serious." the guy in the suit said with a weary sigh, as if he was tired of looking after a playboy bar owner.**_

 _ **Ivan sighed, then turned back to Venkman, tracing the Ghostbuster's handsome features with a fingertip.**_

 _ **"I'm afraid I must leave you, dear doctor. I don't suppose you're off duty?"**_

 _ **"I wish." Peter snorted, rolling his eyes "tomorrow's another fun-packed day at the office, I'm afraid.**_

 _ **Ivan made a disappointed face, then flashed Peter a look that made him flush inwardly "still, there's always another night. Do come back soon, won't you?"**_

 _ **"I don't see why not, I do hate unfinished business, after all." Peter said with a smirk.**_

 _ **"Let me walk you out at least." Ivan shot his friend in the suit a glare and the other man grunted, shrugged and drifted away.**_

 _ **"Who's HE?" Peter asked, taking a swig from the bottle of beer, he and Ivan had shared quite a few already, but he wasn't near drunk for a change.**_

 _ **Ivan paused to shut the doors and tell the bouncers to go take a break. Then he returned to where Peter leaned against the wall outside. The roads were jammed with cars, his club was VERY popular in the fast growing gay scene and he was making a killing right now.**_

 _ **He snagged the bottle from Venkman, kissing him hotly and grinning inside at how delicious he was.**_

 _ **"That was my associate, he used to work with my old man. Didn't like suddenly becoming subordinate to a younger guy, it put his nose outta joint. Don't worry about him..."**_

 ** _Peter smiled, hoping this meant that next time, they'd be left alone…_**

 _ **Ivan kissed him again, asking was he SURE he couldn't persuade Venkman to take a day off and stay a little longer?**_

 _ **Peter was on the verge of replying when he seen something out of the corner of his eye, something that seemed oddly familiar. He broke eye contact with his new friend and glanced across the street.**_

 _ **There, frozen like a deer in headlights, was RAY. He looked out of place, wearing neatly ironed clothes and with his reading glasses perched on his nose.**_

 _ **Ray seen him, his eyes went wide and he took off like a dog with an ass full of explosives.**_

 _ **Peter somehow kept his demeanour upbeat as Ivan bid him goodnight, but once he was away from the club, panic and fury bubbled up. What the heck was Raymond doing hanging around a place like this? It didn't sit right with his quiet, innocent nature. Ray wasn't swinging that way, he was certain of it. He'd have noticed such a thing by now, right?**_

* * *

Peter sighed and let his forehead rest against the wall of the shower. Had he been too hard on Ray…? He shook his head, he couldn't risk the others knowing about this. Far too often in the past had he let people get close, only to be abandoned or betrayed. So he'd vowed to keep even those he considered friends at arms length. Even in the deep dive he'd taken into this other side of his appetite, he never sought out any kind of long term deal, just a night here and there to destress.

But something deep down protested at his reaction to Ray. That look of sadness, the way Ray had ducked his gaze, clearly hurt by the fact that Peter didn't trust him…

-Why did it have to be _YOU_ , Ray?- he mused with a groan.

* * *

He didn't see Ray for the rest of that day, whatever the buster was doing, he was nowhere to be seen. But he wasn't the only one acting odd..

He came across Egon spacing out **SO** badly that he didn't react when Peter gave him the middle finger. Didn't even blink. So Peter went to the freezer, grabbed an ice cube from the tray and snuck up silently behind Spengler. Holding his breath, he tugged the doctor's collar back and-

"Yeaaargh! What in blazes-?!

Egon jumped about a meter in the air, frantically trying to dislodge the chunk of ice cold that'd suddenly appeared down his shirt. He finally dislodged the ice cube just as laughter reached his ears. He spun on his heel, glaring at- who else? Peter.

"That is _NOT_ funny, you ass." he hissed. Peter held up a hand to say wait and kept on giggling away. Egon rolled his eyes and tapped his foot on the floor as he waited for Venkman to calm down.

"Finished?' he said crossly, after several seconds.

"Yes...no- pfftt...your face." Venkman was holding his sides, wiping tears of laughter away.

"Yeah Yeah, hilarious." Egon scowled "can't you find better things to do with your time?"

"No matter who asks, I will swear up and down it was _WORTH IT_."

"Ass." Egon snapped, turning back to the board, then thinking better of it and keeping Venkman in his sight.

"Whats crawled up YOUR butt?" Peter raised an eyebrow, this was uptight even for EGON. What was up with him today?

"Nothing has come anywhere near my posterior, Venkman, thank you very much."

"Hah, you said 'come'" Peter snorted, making Egon facepalm.

"Get out" he snapped "before I test my new acid on your hair."

"Fine, fine. But if you're gonna just stand there looking gormless, be prepared for shenanigans." Peter shot back before legging it out of there with a cackle. He was giggling anew as he bounded down the stairs, bumping into Eugene mid-way.

"Oh, hay, you came back for more! Good luck, its a madhouse." Peter snickered.

Eugene looked at how childishly giggly Venkman was and raised an eyebrow "Good joke?" he chanced asking. Venkman's dark brown eyes sparkled in amusement as he shared the details of his grand prank.

"Pfft...yeah. Egon fell asleep standing up or somethin', so I dropped an ice cube down his shirt! You shoulda seen his face!"

Peter slipped by Eugene, still chuckling "he's still in his lab, I think."

Eugene shook his head, Venkman acted like his mentality never left the frat house! He carried on up, faintly hearing Peter telling Janine what he'd been up to…

* * *

Egon wasn't in the lab, so Eugene tried the man's office next. He knocked but there was no answer, so he nudged the door open.

Egon was rifling through his drawer, one hand holding a book, the other rummaging for a clean shirt. He'd taken the other one off, as the cold water that'd soaked into it had become bothersome. Eugene couldn't help letting his eyes roam over Egon's slender shoulders, down his spine and over the curve of the man's hipbone where it was just faintly visible above his trousers.

Egon turned then, idly asking "is someone there?" He was still so deep in thought, he assumed he'd imagined it, but it paid to be thorough did it not?

When he was met with an awkward cough, he looked up quickly. He seen it was Eugene and felt his face try to flush bright red, but kept it to a minimum by biting on his lip, HARD.

"Eeg.." Eugene said, turning faintly red himself. "I uh...sorry. I didn't think you were getting dressed-"

"I was not paying attention, interruptions were not calculated." Egon said softly. He felt oddly exposed, dropping the book and clutching the first shirt he seen to his chest, trying to make it look natural.

"Eeg, are you-?"

"I'm fine!" Egon blurted "please, you don't have to keep apologising, I'm the one who should be apologising. I was rude, I should have been more supportive-"

"Egon, calm down." Eugene's hands came to rest on his shoulder and Egon couldn't ignore how warm his palms were. They were gentle hands, faintly calloused from all the sports he once played.

"I made you feel uncomfortable yesterday and it wasn't fair, that's why I wanted to speak to you. I was hoping we could still be friends, even with the whole...y'know, me-kissing-you-thing."

That kiss...

Egon bit his lip again, forcing himself to focus on anything but that-!

"It doesn't change who you are." Egon said at last "my opinion has not changed."

The sincerity in his soft-spoken voice made Eugene feel a little better. Egon had always been blunt with him, like he mentioned yesterday and it was why he liked the introverted genius. He reluctantly made his hands fall back to his sides, Egon was so close he was finding it difficult not to look at him in that way, seeing how achingly attractive he was.

Egon tilted his head slightly, glancing uneasily to one side as he struggled to say some pointless platitude that would only serve to highlight his insensitive manoeuvre of yesterday.

Eugene watched a lock of hair slip free from behind Spengler's ear and before he could stop himself, he was tucking it back behind the man's ear again. Egon's body tensed and his breath caught in his throat, so Eugene hastily stepped back before temptation got the better of him.

"Sorry, force of habit." he said weakly, then turned and headed for the door, leaving a speechless Egon alone once more.

* * *

He wandered back down the hall, hands shoved in his pockets and feeling pretty bummed out. He'd blown it, hadn't he? He'd frightened his sole remaining friend, all for a kiss…

"He's lying, you know that?"

"Gah!" Eugene spun round, seeing Venkman stood behind him in the hall. How did he **DO** that?

"I have no idea what you're on about." he said cagily, but Venkman just smirked, then beckoned Eugene to follow him. Sighing, but letting his curiosity get the better of him, Eugene trailed after Peter.

"Tip number one;" the brunette lectured "learn to close doors properly. Two: Egon's kind of clueless, you may need to use a chart, he likes those."

Eugene realised what the older gentleman was spelling out for him. There was only one way he could've known-

"You seen how much?" He said, wincing as his voice betrayed him by pitching slightly. But the guy seemed entirely unfazed, merely arching one eyebrow.

"I came across the open door right when you admitted to planting one on Egon, then I left by the time you were playing with his hair. I didn't think Egon was capable of blushing, so at least that answers one question about the guy."

"Well, I don't think any more of your curiosity will be satisfied- Peter, isn't it?" Eugene sighed "Egon was freaking out after yesterday and I don't blame him. It's obvious he doesn't, y'know..."

"Swing that way?" Peter filled in calmly.

"Yup." Eugene said with a sigh "now if you don't mind, I think I've embarrassed myself enough for a second lifetime, I'm gonna head home."

He turned to go, but barely had he made it three feet then he felt a hand grab his collar and tow him back.

"What the-?" he yelped, as Peter spun him round to face him again.

"Didn't you hear me earlier? I said he was lying. Egon, that is."

"Lying about what?" Eugene asked, frowning.

"About how he's actually feeling, duh." Peter said "You might've missed it, but it's crystal clear to ME; he's going all tense because he likes you, but he just can't deal with it. He's such a dorky little introvert, it's almost endearing in a vague sort of way. But seriously, you're gonna have to talk to him before he explodes, because I am not cleaning up that mess."

"How do you know all this? What makes you so sure you're right?" Eugene was staring at him in stunned surprise, he'd gotten all that from just catching a glimpse through a half-open door?

"I'm a psychologist, bub." Peter smirked, reading the other man's expression "I've talked my way out of many things, including but not limited to a demon possessing my body. So trust me; I know how to READ people."

Something about his body language convinced Eugene this wasn't a joke and he sighed heavily, thinking back to that first kiss. This guy already knew, how much worse could confiding in him make Eugene feel? He sighed and shrugged his shoulders;

"He seemed OK with it, but then he suddenly tensed up, like he changed his mind."

"Ah, yup. Classic Egon, he doesn't like uncertainty, it drives him nuts. And since HE'S the one feeling unsure, he's having a meltdown in that little brain of his. Explains why he's been so spaced today. Huh."

He grabbed Eugene's shoulder and began towing him into the hall. Once there, he shoved Eugene so he faced towards Egon's office.

"It'll only get more awkward the longer you leave it and I can't have Egon being such a spaz he gets us all blown up. Geniuses are the worst for being lovesick, so deal with it, why don't ya?"

Eugene stared at him warily "you're scary, you know that?"

"Yeah, but I've learned to live with it. Bonus for me though; it means people cant pull the rug out from under me, if I nail it to the floor."

Trying to outthink this guy was making Eugene's brain hurt, so he conceded this one to Venkman and set off for Egon's room. He couldn't deny the truth of the man's words, he DID like Egon and he'd been so sure Egon had been enjoying the kiss. Before his abrupt heel-turn, anyway…

He stood outside Egon's door, taking a deep breath and was about to knock when eh heard a clatter and a yelp. He pushed the door open and stared not in admiration this time, but in panic.

* * *

Egon had been using a rickety old stepladder to reach the very top shelf of the bookshelf that dominated the room, but it had given way and now Spengler was left clinging to the top of the bookshelf with his fingertips. As Eugene watched in silent horror, Egon lost his grip and fell-

He darted across the room, hearing the door slam behind him as he reached for the doctor. He succeeded in catching Egon in his arms, but the momentum sent them both sprawling back onto the floorboards.

Egon tensed up as his grip failed, only to feel a warm body wrap around his and they hit the floor in a tangle of limbs. Silence rang for several seconds, with only the soft patter of books falling to the floor from the shelf to fill the silence.

A heart was beating fast next to Egon's ear, he drew a shaky breath as he raised his head, opening his eyes and meetings Eugene's worried gaze. Of course it'd been him-

"You OK, Eeg?" Eugene whispered and Egon felt his excuses fade and die the longer he studied that look on Eugene's face. It was true, honest concern. He looked at Egon as if fearing he'd been hurt, while protectively cradling Egon in his arms. The way they'd landed meant that his legs were either side of Egon's body, even their raised posture seeming to be an extra effort to support him.

Egon nodded, eyes wide behind his glasses, he didn't trust himself to speak at that precise moment.

He glanced down, noticing one hand was resting on Eugene's chest and he moved it now so that his fingertips rested over his friends heart. It was still going so fast..what was the reason?

"The danger is over, I'm fine." he whispered "why hasn't it calmed down?"

"Because-" Eugene's voice faltered, then he carried on in a rush "Because you're so close, Eeg, when I know you don't really want to be."

Egon looked up sharply, realising what he meant. He was intimately embracing Eugene, yet Eugene was acting as if he'd already decided to let go of his feelings in light of Egon's reaction yesterday. Egon felt an acute sense of loss, as if he only now realised the potential of what he'd pushed away, because he'd been unable to face how strong the sensation was-

So he moved now, before his courage failed him and he lost this last chance.

Eugene was caught off-guard when Egon suddenly pressed closely against his chest, dark lashes contrasting against pale skin as Egon closed his eyes and placed his lips against Eugene's.

Eugene didn't know what to do for a second, was he dreaming? Had he hit his head on the floor and this was just a very pleasant concussion?

When Egon brought one hand up to tangle it in Eugene's hair, his slender fingers brushing his scalp and keeping them entwined, he knew this was no dream. Egon's kiss was halting, shy, but undeniably sweet. He couldn't deny himself nor Spengler, so he wrapped the genius in his arms and returned the kiss with a gentle fervour, one hand coming to rest between Egon's shoulder blades, the flat of his palm pressing against the doctor's neatly pressed shirt. Egon uttered a breathy little gasp as they parted for a moment, then Eugene kissed him again, a little heavier this time as his hand brushed slowly up and down Egon's back.

He let Egon go, or did Eeg let go of him? He wasn't sure, but there they were, looking at one another as they caught their breath. Egon licked his lips, chest rising and falling quickly as he looked up at Eugene.

"So...do I take you out on a date now, or..?" Eugene blurted out the first thing that came to mind, feeling himself blush straight after, uttering a pained groan. Could he have sounded any more pathetic?

Egon watched the myriad of expressions on Eugene's face, seeing he really was being earnest. His stomach fluttered as he contemplated the idea...

"If it's possible, I would like that." he said at last, a shy smile tugging at his lips. Part of Eugene's mind was still convinced this was just a result of a bump to the head, could he really be this lucky?

"Then…?" He faltered, wanting to be absolutely sure.

Egon nodded, "Yes, I'd like to go out with you. I didn't intend to push you away from me before, I just don't have any understanding of such romantic principles."

"Don't worry about it Eeg, neither do I. I hadn't really thought beyond just tell you how I felt that night and hope you didn't deck me."

Another cute tilt of the head, Egon's grey eyes full of curiosity and questions. But before that, he felt he owed an explanation to his friend.

"I told myself that you should have someone who would deserve your kindness and reciprocate it in turn. I didn't think that I could do that satisfactorily and it seemed cruel to deny you."

"Well, we can figure it out together, if you like?" Eugene said nonchalantly. Egon smiled again, catching his eye and flashing Eugene that same sweet smile from the night he'd disappeared.

"Deal." he whispered and his reward was another sweet kiss, which sent a fresh shiver of longing up his spine, making him feel lightheaded. He closed his eyes, mentally dissecting the taste and feel of those lips...

Eugene seen how dazed Egon was when he released him and figured he'd probably given the introverted doctor enough to think about for now, so he helped him to his feet and asked was he hurt?

"I should be asking you that." Egon said as he adjusted his glasses "I landed on _YOU_ , after all."

"I'm fine, I played sports, I can handle a full-body tackle from a gorgeous genius. Football players, they're the ones you gotta watch out for, its like punching a ton of bricks!"

Egon chuckled softly, which made Eugene grin.

He escorted Egon over to his bed, where they sat side by side in companionable silence.

"What do you plan to do now?" Egon asked at last and Eugene paused to think.

"Well, a first date seems appropriate- what d'you fancy?"

"I-I meant with regards to your fresh start." Egon coughed, a faint tinge of pink still in his cheeks.

"Oops." Eugene said glibly, winking at the doctor "that? Well, I honestly don't know yet. I guess I'll get caught up on all the stuff I missed while I was gone then get a job. I want to help support my father, this whole business has been hard on him, too."

Egon nodded in understanding, he liked Eugene's father, the man had always been nice to him. "If I can assist with employment matters, tell me. I'm sure we can find something suitable."

Eugene smiled, wrapped an arm around Egon and nuzzled into his hair, sighing happily. He couldn't believe this was really happening, after everything had seemed on the verge of falling apart just a day ago.

Egon felt a little jolt running through him as Eugene's hand rested on his side once more. Feeling Egon twitch, Eugene tiled his head to study the doctor's oddly flustered expression.

"Ticklish?" he asked and Egon coughed, making a noise that sounded enough like a confirmation that Eugene didn't press the matter.

Eugene asked him how the old college they'd attended was doing and Egon admitted that he honestly didn't know, he hadn't been back there since Eugene's disappearance. He'd been transferred to university and that was that..

"We could always take a trip down there, if you wanted to start your acclimatisation by seeing it?" He suggested helpfully.

"Sounds like a plan," Eugene smiled "but it can wait for now, I don't want to be distracting you from your work-"

"Nonsense, I have a load of days off that I have repeatedly failed to utilise. The others can manage without me. If anything comes up, Ray is more than capable."

Eugene nodded, revelling in the moment. He had officially asked Egon out after waiting all this time and he couldn't be happier.

* * *

Right that very moment, Ray was finding himself very **INCAPABLE** at one thing. Dealing with the whole incident with Peter. He'd defaulted to trying to avoid everybody, which was easier said than done when you all stayed in the same building a large amount of the time.

Eventually, he had a flash of inspiration: his shop! He could fake needing to do business work, he WAS a bit behind in his records after all and nobody would suspect anything. Quickly, he gathered up all his notebooks, a novel to read, some spare clothes and a uniform then bolted out of the station, pausing only to call over his shoulder to Janine, telling her where he was going. If they needed him, they could call on the shops landline.

As an afterthought he shot back and grabbed his proton pack and trap, slinging them onto his back without breaking stride.

Janine blinked as she was left in the aftermath of hurricane Raymond, it was rare to see dr Stantz acting like that, he was usually mr level-headed!

Winston walked in seconds after, looking back over his shoulder with a bemused frown "whats up with Ray? He just ran past me like a greyhound with a bum full of dynamite!"

"Beats me, all I caught from his frantic babbling was something about his bookstore. I'd guess he forgot to submit something again and now has to do all his paperwork in one go." Janine yawned, shrugging.

"Huh, usually thats Peter's department."

"What's my department?" Peter came strolling downstairs from where he'd been taking one of his many naps in the main bedroom.

"Being a lazybones." Winston smirked, earning a middle finger from Peter

"Where's Ray?" he asked when the snickering had died down "I need to talk to him, now."

"Well, you just missed him, Pete. He did a roadrunner act out the door, something about paperwork and his store? Sounds like he forgot something major." Winston relayed what Janine had told him.

Peter shrugged, saying it could wait, as he didn't really feel like heading out, then wandered back upstairs.

"Wow, feels like he's giving even _LESS_ of a crap then he usually does." Winston raised an eyebrow, Ray wasn't the only one acting a little strange it would seem…

* * *

Alone in the silent bookshop, Ray paced amongst the shelves, listless and with a headache brewing. Part of him still felt bitter about Peters cold shoulder, that he seemed to trust Ray so little that the first thing he did was get heavy-handed. But that gentle side of him wondered why Peter was so uneasy, he couldn't surely think the others would be cruel? Egon likely wouldn't even shrug, that kind of thing wasn't a big deal to him, Winston was level headed enough that Ray knew he'd be considerate and Janine? Well, she'd probably wind Venkman up, but what else was new?

He tucked himself into a corner, surrounded by books and a cup of coffee sat beside him. He watched the steam curling up from the dark liquid. It'd been a secret he'd been hiding for so long he'd almost erased it from his mind. While he'd been studying at university, he'd developed a crush on one of his classmates. It'd started as a small thing, feeling himself go a little lightheaded if they happened to so much as smile at him. After some particularly steamy dreams, he'd eventually had to face the fact; he liked guys. Armed with this knowledge, he'd….done nothing. He hadn't a clue how to go about finding someone like him and he was too nervous to tell his friends, even Peter, who'd known him for years, nothing seemed to phase HIM.

-But it wasn't just that you were afraid Peter would laugh, you're leaving out one vital fact...- his traitorous brain piped up and he groaned. With the realisation of where his interests lay, he had started noticing little things about Venkman. The way his lips curved when he smiled, how he looked when he was in mid-speech, the gleam of cunning in his eyes when he realised he'd found out an opponents weak spot…

Ray had eventually used meditation and some other mental exercises to make the thoughts less easy to focus. It'd worked, he'd become absorbed in his metallurgy work and finding a joy in chasing the paranormal with his friends. He'd fabricated targets he'd had a crush on to throw anyone off the scent, providing just enough evidence that nobody questioned anything.

But now, presented with the stark evidence that Peter apparently **DID** go that way, he was conflicted. Part of him was actually a little jealous of that stranger Peter had been making out with, but the other part of him knew Peter probably wouldn't buy the truth if Ray told him now. He'd likely assume Ray was making it up to stop Peter being so angry at him.

What a time to have a life-long secret be his only salvation.

-Dammit, I can't outfox a psychologist! What was it Winston said to me? 'You have the trait of most basically honest people. You're a CRAP liar.'-

"I'm doomed" he groaned, face-palming before knocking back half the coffee in one go, the scalding liquid making his eyes water.

He eventually dragged himself upstairs and crawled into bed, still fully clothed.

* * *

He was woken quite rudely the next morning by his phone ringing. His head pounded as he picked it up, but he snapped wide awake when he heard Peter's voice.

"Peter-?"

"We got a major call, Ray. Get your ass outta bed, we're swinging by your place in 10."

He hung up, but Ray was already out of bed, hopping and stumbling around and looking for his uniform and pack as the handset clattered back into its cradle.

He was sat on the railing that ran along the outside of the shop when Ecto-1 careened into view. He dove in, buckling himself in and asking where they were going? Winston told him the address and Ray nodded, already pondering what they'd see there?

Thinking he could feel someone's eyes on him, Ray glanced up and met Peter's unflinching gaze. He blinked, then pretended to be interested in the PKE meter in his lap, what else could he do?

Peter could see Ray's efforts to avoid him clear as day, so he shrugged it off and resumed staring blankly out the window. He told himself he didn't care, but that last bastion of giving-a-shit he liked to think he had protested against seeing Ray so depressed.

* * *

At the days end, Ray asked he be dropped off back at his shop, he needed to finish a few more things. Winston frowned, wondering if something was bothering him? But when he asked Ray, just as the man scrambled out of Ecto-1, Ray seemed to startle and lost his footing, crashing onto his face with a thud. He scrambled up, laughing weakly and saying he was fine. He ran inside quickly, leaving his very confused friends in his wake.

He locked the door behind him with trembling hands, grateful for its tinted glass as he slumped against it, feeling his head pulse and pained tears prickle his eyes. He teetered on the edge of letting it all spill over, but then he shook his head and pushed the feelings of embarrassment down deep enough that he was able to regain composure and go fetch some ice for his forehead.

"Hm. He's worried about something serious." Egon said pointedly as they drove away.

"Ray, worry?" Peter said, wincing internally at how fake his own voice sounded to him "Ray's mr happy-go-lucky!"

"Which means its gotta be serious, this is about as spaced as I've ever seen him, he'll be getting restraining orders from NASA if he keeps this up!" Winston shook his head "something must be up with the shop."

"If it's mathematical, I can ably assist him." Egon frowned, tapping his chin with his pen "I'll enquire when next I see him, his distraction is not making for optimal efficiency."

Peter yawned at the mere mention of math, earning a miffed glare from Spengler. He tuned them both out and watched the streets blur past the window. Once again, however, his thoughts shifted to Stantz.

-Dammit Ray, why are you doing this? It's not your job to give a crap about me, you barely seem to be looking after yourself!- he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed loudly, making the other two shoot inquiring glances his way.

"Don't ask." he grunted, and heard noncommittal noises in reply.

The bright light at the end of this tunnel was that he was intending to go back to the club that night. He was so tense, he needed- no, WANTED a shameless, no-strings-attached night and he'd been imagining a continuation since bidding Ivan farewell.

* * *

"Doctor, it's been too long."

Barely had Peter walked into the club then Ivan seemingly materialised from his right, setting a hand on the small of Peter's back, drawing intense stares of curiosity and jealousy from the other patrons.

"Work got in the way." Peter felt a surge of adrenaline and relief at being away from what bothered him back at the firehouse. This time, he didn't hesitate when Ivan offered a drink, a private booth and his undivided attention.

After a couple of drinks and several increasingly passionate kisses, Ivan leaned in and whispered in Peter's ear.

"Might I be selfish and have you all to myself, dear doctor?"

"Are you saying you want to sleep with me?" Peter teased, knowing full well that was what Ivan's request meant.

"Oh, you won't be sleeping much, Doctor."

Peter's response was a kiss strong enough to make Ivan grin and he wanted to send the empty glasses and tablecloth to the floor and just nail Venkman right there on the table..

But he reigned it in, ushering the Ghostbuster over to the 'employees only' door and up the stairs, the heavy door closing behind them and cutting the roar of noise from the bar down to a distant babble. He pulled Venkman into his arms mid-way up the metal steps, letting his hands roam down and grab the doctor's ass. This seemed to spur Venkman on and it was only through sheer willpower that Ivan resisted throwing him over his shoulder and stampeding up the stairs. Goodness, Venkman was a firecracker, wasn't he?

* * *

Peter wasn't sure if it was the booze or just the novelty of having someone THIS infatuated with him, but he happily gave Ivan a hand in getting him out of his clothing. The bed was sumptuous, the sheets crisp and cool against his skin.

He swiftly learned that Ivan knew a LOT about stimulation as his slender fingers roamed Venkman's body while his lips snared the other man's over and over, or brushed against his throat.

* * *

Ivan felt a surge of triumph as he held the Ghostbuster close, feeling the shudder of pleasure that ran down Venkman's body as they finished. He was even more lively then Ivan had been imagining since that first meeting…what a pleasure it was, to finally hear the doctor call his name. He'd been admiring him from a distance for quite some time, after all.

He kissed his partner's neck, feeling Venkman's rapid pulse fluttering under his skin.

-You're mine now, dear doctor..- he thought with a grin.

Ivan heard Venkman sigh softly as he pulled out, and kissed the mans lips gently.

"Are you alright, doctor? Still feeling tense-"

Peter cut him off with a kiss and in a swift move had him pinned to the bed. Ivan grinned, tracing a hand up over Venkman's chest and stomach, oh he was gonna enjoy this-

* * *

He watched Venkman sleep as night drew in. The Ghostbuster was quite a prize, all that tension kept him wound like a spring, and that had equalled a very hot night spent sating the doctor's appetite. He hadn't had a bed partner like this one in quite some time, maybe there'd be more nights to come?

* * *

The alarm rang, startling Peter awake before he realised it wasn't in fact an alarm, but a telephone perched on the bedside table. He sat up, running a hand through his hair as Ivan yawned and picked up the handset. While he sighed and grunted his way through the conversation, Peter went on a fetch quest for his clothing.

Ivan let his eyes wander as he was put on hold, watching Venkman dress. All that running about chasing ghosts had given him a nicely toned body, as last night had more than demonstrated.

It took him a second to realise his co-owner had come back on the line, and muttered an apology as he reluctantly tore his gaze away from Venkman.

"If you could please refrain from eyeballing 'that guy', sir" the older man's voice sounded icy and Ivan yawned, did he have to be such a stick in the mud? "your 'Uncle' wants to see you today."

Peter seen Ivan sober up as whoever was on the line finished the call and his partner of last night set the phone down.

"Bad news?" Peter asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. Ivan seen how the monogrammed shirt Venkman wore fit just so snugly and shamelessly admired him as he reclined back against the pillows.

"Yes, my uncle wants to see me. It's a dreadful bore, but he has been supportive of my business, given the nature of it. I cannot afford to upset him just yet."

"Right, gotcha." Peter nodded, looking at the clock and sighing crossly "Unfortunately I must return to HQ before the shift starts, these days we've had ghosts out the wazoo!"

"That's too bad, for I would happily hold you prisoner for as long as I could get away with. It has been awhile since I captured someone as energetic as you. Your stamina is impressive, doctor."

Peter flushed, but felt himself grin at the compliment.

"I'm sure I can demonstrate just how long I can go for next time?" he offered, knowing he'd succeeded when Ivan grabbed his collar and kissed him.

"I fully intend to take you up on that bet, doctor Venkman." Ivan grinned, before letting the man leave.

Peter couldn't help grinning to himself as he swanned down the same stairs he and Ivan had stumbled up last night, lips pressed hotly together, hands wandering over one another-

Just as he set his hand on the handle of the door that led back into the bar, it was pulled open from the other side and Peter nearly stumbled into the same guy who'd interrupted him and Ivan the first night. The older man's eyes narrowed and he eyed Venkman as if he was a nuisance, which put Peter's back up. If he'd looked closer, he'd have seen the phone hidden carefully at the guy's side, but he was too busy smirking smugly at this obstacle.

"You gonna just stand in my way, or do I have to fetch your boss up there?" Peter jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at the stairs behind him. The other man sneered softly, but moved aside to let Venkman by.

Peter fancied he could feel the stranger's gaze boring a hole in his jacket as he swanned out of the club and into the morning sunlight. He walked back towards HQ, his route taking him right past Ray's bookshop. It was locked up tight with no sign he was still there, so Peter shrugged and walked on. Maybe he was back at the firehouse?

* * *

Sure enough, Ray **WAS** back at HQ. He didn't glance up when Peter walked in, despite the fact that he was the only one in reception. Peter stood there tapping his foot, but Ray still didn't acknowledge him.

"Ray." Peter said, his frustration building the longer Ray stayed silent.

"What? I'm very busy, Peter." Ray muttered, pushing himself up from the chair and making to slip by his friend.

"I have work to do-ah, hey?!"

He trailed off with a startled squeak as Peter moved like a flash of light and planted himself between Ray and the stairs. His hand came to rest on Ray's upper arm, pulling him so they were face-to-face, with Venkman's distant brown eyes boring into Stantz's hazel ones.

Ray gripped his ledger tightly and finally broke the deadlock, his gaze darting to rest on the floor just past Peter. This close to him, beneath that scent was just PETER, there lingered traces of wine and cigarette smoke.

"We need to talk." Peter said at last, for a lack of anything more subtle.

"Oh, really?" Ray said, suddenly defiant. He adjusted his reading glasses and met Peter's gaze, this time with all the determination he had "do you want me to be silent, or do you want me to talk? Pick one, already!"

Peter blinked, legitimately taken aback by Ray's sudden ferocity. Taking advantage of this rare moment, Ray pulled free from his grasp and jogged up the stairs without looking back.

The sour feeling Peter was left with took the edge off the night of fun he'd just come back from and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. Had he taken Ray for granted once too often?

He tried on and off throughout that day to pull Ray aside and talk to him, but the other man was always able to give him the slip. This game of cat and mouse went unnoticed by the others, as the day wore into evening.

* * *

Egon drifted downstairs as the phone rang and was just setting a foot on the top step of the stairs leading to the basement when Janine called his name.

"Call for you, dr Spengler! It's Eugene."

Egon's heart thudded a little quicker at the mention of that name. Keeping a straight face, he nodded, sitting down in Janine's chair as she went upstairs to give him some privacy.

"Hey, Eeg." the warm, comforting voice made him feel as if the mess of events that'd been work was far away now.

"Eugene." he smiled ever so softly "are you alright?"

"Heh, I'm fine Eeg. I have a question for you, however."

"What question is that?" Egon asked, curiosity piqued. He tucked his legs under him, resembling a stick insect with impeccable hair and glasses.

"You free on Saturday?"

"Yes, I'm scheduled a day off. Usually I would remain here and further my research-" he stopped, then coughed "but it's not a priority right now."

On the other end of the phone, Eugene smiled and prepared for the next question in line.

"You fancy going out with me? Just us. In the real world. Like a-"

"Like a date?" Egon finished.

"Yup, that's the one. Whaddya say, Eeg?"

Egon found he was quite intrigued by the scenario and told Eugene as such.

"You have the cutest way of saying "yes", Eeg." Eugene grinned widely, he was taking his cute little genius on a first date!

Egon flushed and face-palmed. Good grief, he sounded awkward didn't he?

As if reading his mind, Eugene added;

"Don't you dare change, Eeg. I'll see you then, say, at 11?"

Egon agreed to the date and fancied he could hear the excitement in Eugene's voice as he hung up. It was infectious and he found himself looking forward to spending a day with the friend he'd begun a relationship with, as he resumed the task he'd been working on.

Janine did a double take as Egon strode by her later. Was she hallucinating, or was he smiling just a fraction?

* * *

Ray thought he was safe when he darted into the shared bedroom to grab something from his bedside locker. Nobody else was in there, he'd checked.

But when he straightened up and turned round, he was suddenly face-to-face with Peter. He bit back a shriek of fright and likely would've stumbled back and fallen on his ass, had Peter not grabbed his shoulders tightly to steady him.

"Ray. I need. To talk. To YOU." Peter said sternly and Ray went tense.

"About what?!" He hissed, feeling his face flush in embarrassment. Why wasn't Peter over this? "I haven't said a word and I'm not going to! So you can cut out the intimidation routine, I'm not in the habit of stabbing my friends in the back- eep!"

Peter seen a flicker of something else in Ray's eyes and instinctively pulled him closer to get a proper look at him. This left them mere centimetres apart and Ray squeaked, unable to keep from blushing just a little as he was brought closer to Peter then he ever anticipated, even if it was in anger.

Peter blinked, his psychologist brain reading the momentary signal and he stalled, was he reading this right?

Ray seen Peter falter, a look of surprise registering as he seen something in Ray's expression.

\- - Oh no, please-!- - Ray's gut feeling went from flustered to frantic and he pushed free from Peter, running towards the door, speaking rather abruptly as he wrestled with the door handle.

"Just let it go, Peter. I don't want to deal with this." Then he was gone, slamming the door behind him.

Peter stood in the silent, empty bedroom, his head spinning.

-Is Ray into men?- Peter thought over that brief drop in Ray's defences. He'd blushed, that was obvious, but was it because he was too close to Peter, or just plain scared-?

If what he suspected was true, Peter had a terrible feeling he'd made an even bigger mess then he'd first thought.

* * *

Things between them stalled after that, further days passing during which they kept up appearances so as not to alert the others, but Ray kept his distance from Peter. He found himself making more and more excuses to spend time at the shop, even successfully diverting Egon from showing up to "help" with the "finances". Ray couldn't help but notice that it seemed to take less effort to deter Spengler then usual, but he wasn't about to question it. He had his own mess to take care of!

Egon was a little puzzled by Ray's spaced-out ramblings, but eventually ascertained Stantz did not seem to require his help. On a normal day, he'd have persisted like a dog with a bone, but he was distracted by his own personal life, pondering what kind of date Eugene had planned? In this instance, he found himself rather enjoying the anticipation of the unknown.

Winston privately wondered what the heck was wrong with the other three? Each was acting just subtly ODD, making him wonder if there was an underlying thread that linked them all?

* * *

Peter was spending as much time as he could at Ivan's club. More drinks and shared embraces amidst the smoke and lights helped him forget about the business with Ray, for the time being. That first night was soon followed by another romp in Ivan's roomy bed, feeling the excess energy that'd been brewing inside him be finally spent.

Two days later, he lay back against the pillows, scrunching the sheets beneath his hands as Ivan laboured diligently between his legs, that silver tongue of his showing its other talent. He was GOOD at this, very good. Peter arched his back as he felt the peak approaching and groaned sharply, murmuring his partner's name-

Ivan grinned as he brought the doctor over the edge, listening to the sultry sounds he made as he came. He sat back once it was over, licking his lips as he sat up. His eyes raked over Venkman's body as he lay before him, lamplight gleaming off sweat-dusted skin.

"Exemplary, doctor Venkman." Ivan purred, leaning over Peter and planting a kiss on his lips, sharing the man's sweet taste with him. Peter returned the kiss with his customary desire and pressed enticingly against Ivan's body, hinting at offering more..

To his relief, Ivan didn't miss the hint, seamlessly positioning his body to take the Ghostbuster beneath him..

Curled up in the expensive sheets with the aftermath of pleasure warming him, Peter felt like he could forget about the lingering doubt and guilt about Ray. His body thrummed with a faint energy as the echoes of the night ran through him, but this felt GOOD, not like the stressful surge of manic energy the last week had left him with.

But as he drifted asleep, his mind flashed back to that brief glimpse beneath Ray's facade. The way he'd blushed, lips parted and those wide, innocent eyes locked on HIM. How could he have missed this about Raymond, if it WAS true? He'd known him for most of his life, worked at the university with him and now as a Ghostbuster. Either Ray was a master at hiding that certain secret, or this was a recent thing.

Another out-of-the-blue thought occurred to Peter then; had Stantz really been at his bookshop, or had he been trying to work up the courage to enter the club?

He finally drifted asleep, thoughts fading into oblivion.

* * *

Ray wasn't faring so well since that last close contact with Peter and the matter was now haunting his sleeping mind. Only, the dream world took it even further, toying cruelly with Ray's wistful feelings. Warmth wrapped around him and a gentle voice said something that Ray couldn't make out. When he tried to ask, he was silenced with a kiss-

Ray bolted awake from where he'd dozed off at his office desk, knocking a stack of books to the floor. He shook his head, rubbing his eyes as he got his heart-rate under wraps, this whole affair was getting out of control! He was stressing out because the easy-going comradarie he'd had with his friend was all but ready to snap apart now and he felt like he couldn't do a thing to stop it.

—If I could just forget...wait!—

His eyes widened as he recalled the method he'd used to curtail his nervousness back when he'd first discovered the truth about himself. The meditation techniques, of course! He shook his head, wondering how he'd been so clueless. It'd worked once before, had it not?

Feeling hopeful, he bounded up from his desk in search of the book he needed, he knew he still had a copy around here somewhere. He'd clung onto it in a fit of nostalgia, even after it'd seemingly outgrown its usefulness. Now it was like a beacon in the dark, a way to put a stop to this awkwardness and get back to enjoying his work and friendships...

Even if it meant feeling like he was breaking his heart.


	3. Past and Present

Janine was relieved to see that Ray seemed much more at ease when he bounded in on Saturday morning. He was back to his usual cheery self, if a little tired, given the bags under his eyes.

Egon had already left by the time Ray arrived, idly saying that he was meeting Eugene at his house to go over some vital matters. Peter had to bite his lip to refrain from raising an eyebrow at Spengler or making a suggestive comment about 'vital parts', but he didn't fancy having to deal with another irate genius right then. Ray was trouble enough already-

Just as he thought about him, the man in question came striding in, greeting him and Winston as he usually did.

"You seem in better spirits, everything OK? You were kinda out of it for awhile." Winston remarked and Ray smiled brightly at Zeddemore.

"Hm? Oh, yes! I've fixed the worst of the problems, the remaining matters will be sorted by the end of next week at the latest."

"That must be a load off, huh?" Winston relaxed at seeing Ray back to his usual energetic self, he'd started to become more than a little concerned that Stantz was overworking himself with all the nights he spent at the store. That sort of crazy overtime thing was usually Egon's job! The Ghostbusters didn't need **BOTH** of their resident smarty-pantses being up all night and thus half-asleep on the job.

That bit was Venkman's area, wasn't it?

Winston chuckled to himself, now he was just getting them all muddled up!

Speaking of Peter, Winston noticed that Venkman hadn't said a single word since Ray had come bounding into the kitchen. He appeared to be pondering something, either that or he was having a stare-off with his coffee, for anything went where Peter was concerned. The guy was a veritable source of WTF, rarely ever making any sense on the surface.

Peter studied Raymond out of the corner of his eye, entirely unaware of Winston's musings. Something was off about Ray's chirpy demeanour, some subtle facet of his friend wasn't sitting right with him, the more he watched him the more certain he became.

Still ruminating on the matter, he straightened up from where he'd been leaning against the counter, accidentally knocking that mornings newspaper to the floor. Ray stopped on his way out the door, scooping the paper up on reflex and handing it back to Peter without a single hesitation, just that familiar warm smile of his.

 **THAT** was when Peter realised what was bothering him; Ray wasn't acting uneasy any more, he wasn't shying away from Peter like he had before and now showed no signs of remembering why they'd argued. Stantz was doing a superb job at it to the untrained eye, but Peter could see the places where the man's facade was thinnest, detected the artificial happiness that radiated from the cheerful doctor.

He watched Ray leave, a worrying sensation growing in his stomach.

* * *

Peter tried to get Ray's attention as they piled into the Ectomobile, grabbing his elbow out of sight of Winston and stopping Stantz before he got into the car. Ray didn't flinch or shoot him that guilty look as he had in the days before, merely stared at him in childlike curiosity.

"Something wrong, Peter?" Ray asked, head tilting slightly to one side "your pack need re-adjusting?"

This sparked an idea in Peter's mind and he nodded rapidly, shrugging idly and saying it felt a little off-balance. This bit was true, he'd been meaning to make Egon fix it but hadn't gotten round to it. Now, he heard Ray call to Winston, saying he'd 'be just a moment'.

Winston heard this and shrugged, leaning back in the drivers seat and flipping open one of the magazines that Ray kept in the glove box. Leave it to Peter to wait until the last moment before asking for help!

But Peter had an ulterior motive for getting Ray to check the pack, for part of the problem was the straps that wrapped around his body were loose and the buckles were notoriously fiddly to adjust. In order to check them over, Ray would have to stand **VERY** close and Peter intended to use this as a way to test his theory about Raymond's sudden 180 degree personality swap.

He readied a quick response in case he seen Ray's pretence falter, so he could get to the underlying matter. But, the reaction remained unspoken as he watched (and felt) Stantz bustle around him, his agile fingers adjusting the heavy duty buckles and checking where they were attached to the pack itself. He even felt Ray's hand brush his side and his hair, as the man adjusted the shoulder straps that connected to the heavy equipment.

"There we go." Ray stepped back, that faultless smile only a millisecond behind "they may need replacing soon, but for now, they're good to go!"

"Right." Peter blinked at him, honestly surprised that his plan had been met with failure "Thanks, Ray, that's much better."

"Mm-hmm!" Ray smiled, shoving the screwdriver back into his toolkit and returning to Ecto-1 with Venkman trailing behind.

Peter was more convinced then ever after **THAT** display. Given how Ray had been acting startlingly flustered and embarrassed about getting close to him in the days before, the close proximity and contact should have at least raised some kind of response. But Ray had sailed through it as if he was operating on auto-pilot. He hadn't once met Peter's eyes or even spoken directly to him.

Something was going on behind that mask and Peter was starting to wonder just how much of it was his fault? Had he set all this in motion by snapping at Ray out of panic over his secret being revealed?

* * *

While Peter dealt with the consequences of his rash behaviour, Egon was blissfully unaware and busy with his newly discovered love-life.

He drove over to Eugene's place, where he shared a cup of coffee with him and his father, catching them up on the last few days at work. He listened to mr Visitor talk happily away at how pleased he was to have Eugene home…

"You fellas have fun now!" Eugene's father said with a smile, waving them goodbye from the front door as they got into the car, with Eugene driving this time.

"It's good to see that your father is so happy." Egon said softly, flashing back to how sad and withdrawn mr Visitor had been when Egon had seen him last, the old man had already known his son's return couldn't last…

"Yeah, dad's really good. He was alone all this time, wondering what happened to me. It seemed such a short time for me, but for pops, it was year after year..." Eugene looked sadly at the dashboard as his eyes pricked with tears, wishing he hadn't been gone so long-

Egon's hand came to rest on his before his guilt threatened to overshadow him and he turned his head to meet Spengler's slate-grey eyes, seeing a firm strength in them.

"It wasn't your fault, who knows why things happened the way did?" Egon said gently "he has you back now, that was all he ever wanted. You two have plenty of time to catch up, revisit old memories and create new ones together."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Eeg." Eugene smiled, feeling a lot better at hearing Egon's reassuring point-of-fact statement. Having his life back had been more than a bit of a shock, but he couldn't deny how grateful he was to Egon for saving it.

* * *

Egon felt relieved to see Eugene looking cheerful again, he worried the man blamed himself for leaving his father alone, even though it wasn't his fault.

"Where are we going to?" Egon asked as they pulled into a series of narrow, tightly packed streets that housed quaint little shops and antique warehouses. He wasn't familiar with this area.

"Dad's old friend opened a rare books shop just last month and I know how much you love your reading, Eeg. So, I thought we could start there?"

Egon felt a flutter of excitement in his chest, eyes brightening as he looked out the window, hoping to spot this fabled shop. Eugene seen the shift in Eeg's expression and knew he'd hit the jackpot. A grin spread over his face, his heart pounding excitedly and he longed to plant a kiss on Spengler.

It wasn't just the shop, he had an idea for where to take Egon for lunch too, one that would appeal to his other interest. Sugar...

The shop owner looked up from his computer as the bell over the door jangled merrily and two young gentlemen entered the shop. One he recognised from photos his old friend had shown him as 'Eugene', but the other was an unfamiliar face. He wasn't a big fan of the television, or he may have recognised Egon, but without the uniform it didn't register and he simply assumed this was a friend of Eugene's.

"Hey mr Weir!" Eugene grinned as he approached the counter, an awestruck Egon in tow. He was shifting from foot to foot just subtly, wanting to see ALL the books!

"Ah, Eugene, your father has been telling me non-stop how good it is to have you back. You really haven't aged a day, you lucky thing! Who's your friend?"

Egon snapped his gaze away from the seemingly endless shelves of books and looked at the store owner now.

"This is Doctor Egon Spengler," Eugene said proudly, smiling at his friend before looking back at mr Weir "we were at college together, he's one of the founding members of the Ghostbusters!"

"Ghostbusters?" Weir's eyes widened, "I've heard of you boys here and there, but this is the first time I've had the honour to meet one in the flesh!"

'Pleasure to meet you, sir." Egon shook his hand, smiling politely "Ghostbusting is an interesting job, dangerous for sure, but also one that provides near endless research opportunities."

"Egon's a genius. You want it explained, he's your man." Eugene added brightly and Egon nearly blushed at just how honestly proud Eugene sounded. He made Egon's oftentimes intimidating and overwhelming brainpower sound like a bonus instead of a nuisance as some had in the past. There were times in his past and even the present when the word 'genius' sounded akin to that of a curse word…

Weirs eyes sparkled "I can assume then, young man, that you have a love of books? So many subjects to research these days, there's no end to the topics and things I've found prior to setting up shop."

Egon nodded eagerly, describing his bookshelf to Weir, who took an instant liking to this introverted young scholar. He believed books were a legacy, something that should be preserved, but also enjoyed. Eugene followed behind the two as they discussed books, then eventually he and Egon were left to their own devices as Weir went out back to sort through some more inventory.

"Ah, this is a 1st edition!" Egon's eyes brightened as he reverently lifted a book down from one of the shelves deep within the shop. "I have wanted this one for quite some time, but production was limited when people became convinced it was cursed."

"Is it?" Eugene joked, but grinned when Egon gave him a sarcastic look.

"Of course not," Egon said, a trace of amusement in his voice as he elaborated "it was merely superstition of the time, mob mentality gone wild. Nowadays this is less common, but still pervasive in daily life."

"Ah, gotcha." Eugene seen the delight in Egon's eyes and the way he held the book and he couldn't refrain from staring at him. He recalled this rare display of joy from their college days, when Egon was let loose in the library after a new batch of books had been delivered. Eugene had accompanied him once or twice and although the books didn't really interest **HIM** , it was fascinating to see Egon's normally blank expression change to something approaching enthusiasm.

Egon glanced up from studying the ancient leather cover, seeing Eugene watching him with a nostalgic fondness that sent another flutter up his spine. Eugene seen more to him then anyone else ever had, he didn't just write him off as a cold and reclusive man.

"Eugene?" He asked now, stepping closer and tilting his head to study his expression closely "are you ok?"

"Huh?" Eugene snapped out of his memory and licked his lips nervously as he seen how close Egon was. Unable to help himself, he moved one hand to gently cradle Egon's left wrist, running his thumb across the soft warmth of his skin.

Egon found himself holding his breath, was Eugene going to kiss him? Was a bookshop the best place to do this? Why was he already stepping close enough to feel the warmth of Eugene's body heat?

But before the young lovers could share a quick kiss, the floor shook under a silent force and they were thrown off balance, resulting in Eugene landing atop Egon, pinning him to the floor. The book was all that lay between them, Eugene could feel its sharp corners jabbing into his chest.

"What in blazes was _THAT_?" Egon said at last, as his brain rebooted its speech function.

"I have _NO_ idea." Eugene said, then realised how inappropriate the way they were lying looked and felt himself flush. He hastily got up, gently assisting Egon to his feet.

Egon set the antique book he'd been holding atop the counter and stared over at the back of the store. Silence reigned, making every sense he had go off in alarm.

"Mr Weir? Sir?" he called hesitantly as he advanced towards the rear of the shop. Eugene followed behind, wondering what'd happened. Egon pushed the door open all the way and they froze in shock. The old man was lying knocked out on the floor and a semi-transparent red spirit was drifting amongst the boxes stacked about the room. Egon ducked back out, racking his brains for something- anything…

"Should we call the others?" Eugene asked. Egon thought a moment, then peered back into the room.

"Not yet, I want to try communicating with it first. The fact that it has tried not to hurt the owner means that it is not a necessarily 'violent' spirit. Eugene, if I can distract it, can you get mr Weir outside?"

Eugene nodded, squeezing Egon's arm gently and telling him to be careful. Egon nodded, promising that he would, this was his area of expertise.

* * *

The two entered the room silently, with Eugene leaving Egon's side to crouch beside mr Weir. The older man was breathing steadily and he seemed unscathed, so Eugene looped one arm over his shoulders and hooked his arm around Weir's middle, getting carefully to his feet.

Egon waited until they were almost at the door before stepping into the ghosts line of sight, hands held out in a gesture of placation.

"What are you looking for?" he asked and the spirit whipped round, narrowed eyes fixing on this strange human. It seen Eugene escaping out the door with the one it had tried to possess, only to discard him as too frail to be of any use. But this young man, he exuded a veritable wellspring of energy and his body was far more in line with what the ghost wanted. So it let the other two escape, setting its sights on the figure stood so fearlessly before him.

"What do you want?" Egon asked again, his eyes never leaving the ghosts as he heard the footsteps fade, feeling himself relax and focus on the matter at hand, the further Eugene got from him.

"I seek my book. It was separated from my essence."

Egon blinked, cocking his head to one side in curiosity and his eyes widened slightly when he spotted it. There, within the ghost's semi-opaque body was a small but intricately carved gem. His mind quickly surmised that said gem held the spirit and that the book contained whatever it needed to cause untold havoc. Same old, same old, really.

"What book?" he asked, but that was when the ghost suddenly transformed from potentially low-class to 'uh-oh', a classification cutely coined by Ray, back at the beginning of their work. It went from an indistinct shape to a figure in flowing robes, its eyes glowing like hot coals.

"Do not think yourself clever enough to steal my work you pathetic child!" it boomed, jabbing a finger at the human, who seemed unafraid and merely folded his arms across his chest.

"How do you expect to find it then, without my help?" Egon said smoothly, a plan forming in his mind as he stared at the spectre.

"Oh, that's easy. I just need your hands, not your mind!"

Egon yelped and quickly dove aside as the ghost swiped claw-like hands at him, leaving red trails in the air such was its speed.

"Yes….just your hands...the rest of you serves no purpose.." it laughed madly and Egon scrambled to his feet, rearranging his plan as his eyes settle don an object set atop mr Weirs desk.

"Without the rest of my body attached, they will be useless. You do not have enough power regained to utilise such a method, so if you want the book, my entire body needs to remain unharmed."

"Hm, you think yourself of considerable intellect, don't you?" the ghost sneered at him and Egon smirked.

"I'm a genius. I don't think, _I KNOW_."

The ghost laughed uproariously at this, "you are amusing, whelp. Very well, you can keep your body intact, but one false move and I slice that pretty head from your shoulders."

Egon nodded, keeping his expression blank even as his heart pounded from the adrenaline. He had to time this just right, or lives were at risk. He hoped Eugene had gotten mr Weir to a safe distance, he didn't want either of them getting hurt, they were civilians after all and he was a professional Ghostbuster, this was his duty.

The ghost floated over, digging its clawed fingers into his shoulder and making Egon wince.

"One false move, whelp and you shall perish. Don't cross me." it hissed in Egon's ear before releasing him, leaving the place where its hand had rested throbbing painfully. It described the book down to the last detail and Egon looked at the labels on the boxes as he searched. They were written in spidery handwriting that detailed the general theme of the books and Egon had to give mr Weir credit for being thorough.

"If the book is your essence, how were you not already partnered with it upon acquisition?"

"Because some headstrong fool caught wind of my plans and stupidly thought merely prying my gem from the book would sever the connection. By his foolishness, the gem was left in the same crate as the book and when that old fool came into contact with it, I was woken once more. But he has since placed my book elsewhere and I require it to finish my goal."

Egon bristled at the insult to the kindly shop owner, but hid it as best he could.

When his hands came to rest on one of the dusty tomes packed deep inside one of the boxes, the ghost hissed softly.

"Bring it here." it whispered. Egon dusted it off as he turned, pretending to sneeze and stumble against the desk.

"Watch your step, worm!" the ghost got in his face again and Egon felt the cold radiating off its corporeal form.

"Now hand it over." The ghost hissed. Egon blinked back a film of sweat from his eyes, slowly extending his hands, the book clasped tightly in them.

"Just one question?" he said idly.

"Oh? What's that, then?" the ghost dropped its gaze to the book, thinking it'd already won with every step Egon took.

"Did you know that the older paper is, the easier it burns?"

"What are you- _NO_!"

For clutched in Egon's fingers, hidden beneath the book, was the lighter he'd grabbed when he'd pretended to stumble. He flicked the thing open now, feeling heat scald his fingers as the flame ignited, but he held on until the fire had taken hold, at which point he tore free from the ghost and threw the book into the waste-bin beside the desk. The ghost howled furiously as it lunged for it, but Egon wasn't done just yet. He grabbed a heavy, old-fashioned walking stick from beside the desk and swung it like a baseball bat, calculating trajectory on the fly. It swung through the ghost, hitting the gem hidden within it with all the force Egon could muster. The gem was knocked free, whereupon it sailed into the wall and shattered into a million tiny pieces.

With an unearthly howl, the ghost went up in crimson flames, its shouts of fury making Egon's head ache and his ears ring. He stumbled back, coughing on the acrid stench of ectoplasm and singed paper.

Then he blacked out.

* * *

"Eeg? Eeg? Can you hear me?"

Egon slowly opened his eyes, seeing Eugene's frantic face hovering above his own.

"Eugene?" he asked sleepily and Eugene looked ready to collapse from relief.

"Oh, thank goodness-! Mr Weir woke up and asked what happened, I said you were in there dealing with a ghost, then we heard a howling scream and we ran back in. You were unconscious and the waste bin was spewing smoke."

"I...the book.." Egon sat himself up, coughing "I regret that I had no choice but to burn it. That thing, you wouldn't want it loose in the world, trust me."

The door opened with a soft creak and Egon now noticed that he was lying on a couch he hadn't seen in his search, hidden as it was behind all those boxes. Mr Weir stepped into view, carrying a tray with cups of tea on.

"Mr Weir-" Egon tried to get to his feet but Eugene sat him firmly back down "I apologise for the damage. It'll be placed under the insurance held by our company-"

"Nothing doing, lad." Weir smiled and shook his head as he handed a cup of tea to the dazed doctor "a book with a bad temper and an old waste bin? Hardly worth bothering with. This building already had lots of dings in it when I bought it, what's a few more?"

"Are you sure?" Egon asked, feeling responsible for the trouble since it had been a ghost.

But Weir said he wouldn't hear of it, as far as he was concerned, Egon had saved his life by distracting that creepy spook. He went back out front to deal with a customer while Eugene and Egon sat side by side in the back, silently drinking their tea.

"You feeling OK, Eeg?" Eugene asked as the door clicked shut, rubbing Egon's back gently "some date, huh?"

"There's no need for concern. I believe that Peter has had ghosts interrupt his dates more often than he can count, so this isn't totally unprecedented."

Eugene laughed softly 'well, that's sure comforting. Do your hands hurt at all? I bandaged them up, with mr Weir's help."

Egon looked down at his hands now, assuming correctly that some variety of burn salve had been applied and that the injury was minor.

"No, they are mostly painless, I don't think the contact was sustained long enough to damage much more then the first layer or two of skin. It'll heal quite quickly. Thank you."

'Anytime, Eeg." Eugene beamed, then chanced placing a quick, chaste kiss on Egon's cheek and smiling as Egon flushed subtly.

Once Egon had had some time to rest, the two decided to continue their date. As they were leaving, mr Weir approached Egon, holding out a neatly wrapped package. Egon asked what it was and the old man smiled as he pressed it into Egon's hands.

"Just a little thank you, sonny. It's the least I can do, that thing would've likely torn the place apart were it not for your quick thinking. You boys come back any time, you hear?"

Egon nodded and thanked him warmly, always appreciative of another book fanatic like himself.

Weir smiled as he observed them get into the car outside, wondering if the young Ghostbuster fellow knew that Eugene was in love with him? He seemed a very secluded young man, but highly intelligent.

* * *

Egon was surprised but grateful when he unwrapped the paper and seen it was the same book he'd been admiring when all the chaos had kicked off. He caught Eugene smiling out of the corner of his eye and wondered if he'd had a hand in selecting it? He smiled, tracing his hands over the cover as they drove.

"Ok, here we are! Snack break time." Eugene announced.

Egon packed the book away in his bag as they pulled up outside a cake shop, making Egon's stomach grumble.

"You always did have a sweet tooth, I remember you practically existing on candy during our study sessions." Eugene winked at the spark of hunger in Spengler's eyes.

Egon laughed softly, admitting that some things never changed, for he **STILL** loved his sugar, especially Twinkies.

They found themselves a comfy booth at the back of the shop and Eugene ordered a platter of their sweetest treats. Egon sat up straight when he seen the cakes and started on them with gusto. Eugene watched him as they ate, loving the way Egon scooped the thick icing from the cupcake, popped the spoon in his mouth and looked adorably blissed out as the sugar hit his tongue. He was, simply put, adorable.

Egon polished the plate free of every last crumb and sighed contentedly. That had been quite exemplary as cakes went. He looked up from his gleaming plate, seeing Eugene was smiling again, a faint reddish tinge to his cheeks as he realised he'd been rumbled.

"What is it?" Egon asked, heart picking up the pace.

"You look really cute when you have sugar." Eugene confessed softly, with a faint chuckle and Egon flushed this time.

"Cute..?" he mused "I will admit that I had never considered my eating a cake could be considered endearing."

His heart went and nearly stopped a second later, when Eugene leaned over and brushed a smudge of icing from his cheek, his thumb brushing Egon's lower lip as he set his hand back down.

"Missed a spot." Eugene grinned, licking the smudge of icing off his thumb.

Egon could tell his heart rate was significantly faster by this point and automatically moved his fingers to his wrist to check it. He heard an amused sound and looked up to realise he'd been spotted, but Eugene didn't look annoyed or confused.

"Is it going too fast?" Eugene asked him and Egon caught the hidden question; Was this date going too quick for him?

"No," Egon said honestly, lying his hands flat atop the tabletop "I cannot restrain my curiosity when presented with something new, especially this unique a scenario."

-Cute. Nothing but cute as far as the eye can see.- Eugene thought decisively. He'd always found Egon's innocent curiosity fascinating. He had such a different view of the world, that Eugene had found himself trying to decode it from day one…

The rest of their time passed in contented conversation, ranging from Eugene's memories of college to Egon's various publications.

"I know you're a physicist now, but what about drs Stantz and Venkman? Is Zeddemore in the same field?"

"Winston's a former marine, he joined us shortly after things started picking up. Ray's expertise is primarily in parapsychology and metallurgy, but he's also a qualified mechanic and engineer. Peter was a registered professional psychologist before taking up parapsychology."

"Thats explains _SO_ much." Eugene muttered, thinking back to the way Peter had seen right through his pretence and worked out that Egon was just shy about starting a relationship with another guy.

"Hm?" Egon asked and Eugene seen he was tilting his head in that way he did when something had caught his interest.

"Never-mind," Eugene chuckled "it just makes Venkman suddenly make a lot more sense, the whole psych angle thing."

"Yes, he can talk anybody into anything if given half the chance. Don't _EVER_ take a drinking bet with him, he is a terror for that."

"Sounds like some of my old frat buddies, they'd drink until they could barely think some times."

"So, just one beer then?" Egon couldn't help being a little sarcastic, given how big a nuisance those guys had been during the brief time he'd been in contact with them.

Eugene had taken a swig of his soda right as Egon spoke and promptly burst into loud guffaws at the jibe. He set the glass down, his shoulders shaking for a moment before finally swallowing the drink and laughing out loud. Egon looked puzzled and a little lost as to how he should respond?

"I uh….I have no answer for this scenario." he said at last, as Eugene got his giggles under control.

"Oh, don't ever look for one, Eeg. That. Was. Brilliant...pffttt-" Eugene began laughing again and Egon found he couldn't refrain from uttering a refined chuckle, himself.

"Hoo boy." Eugene wiped his eyes, his sides aching as the giggles slowed "who knew you had a sarcastic streak in you?"

"It was unintentional." Egon said primly, toying with his napkin to keep his pride at successfully being 'funny', hidden "I was merely stating my estimate based on how asinine their behaviour was back then."

"You keep doing that, please and thank you." Eugene grinned "jokes like that are the best when they come out of nowhere."

Egon couldn't help a smile at that praise. He'd never been as fast as Peter or Ray for the wise-cracks, so making Eugene laugh this much was something of a personal triumph.

Eugene called the waitress over to pay the bill and Egon got up to nip to the bathroom. The waitress studied his slim, svelte figure as he strode away. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Where's _HE_ been hiding all my life?" she sighed wistfully and Eugene blinked, caught off guard briefly.

"Egon? In a place with lots of books. Or Ghosts."

She did a double-take and looked down at him "Wait, he's _THAT_ Egon? As in Spengler? I thought he looked kinda familiar, the uniform really doesn't show off his figure..."

"I'm not sure a universe exists where jumpsuits are ever that flattering, ma'am." Eugene mused as Egon returned from the bathroom.

* * *

They bid her goodbye and walked outside into the sunlight.

Egon was just asking where Eugene wished to go next, when he realised Eugene was staring at a poster on the side of the cake shops wall. He stepped round to get a closer look and to try determine what held Eugene's attention so strongly and the pieces clicked into place. It was a notice advertising an open day at the college they'd both attended, the same one Eugene had disappeared from.

Egon seen a lot of things on his friend's face, including apprehension and wistfulness. This was the last thing Eugene had seen before vanishing and he obviously needed to go back.

"Let's go." he said now, tapping Eugene's arm. Eugene stared blankly at him, then his brain caught up and he laughed shakily, shaking his head and smiling.

"It's fine, Eeg-"

"No, it is clearly important. Besides, you've been bringing me everywhere that you knew I would enjoy-"

"That's the point of a date, handsome." Eugene nudged him lightly with a wry smile, but Egon didn't break his stare, merely continued.

"And it seems cruel of me to ignore what you want. Let's go." Egon insisted firmly, seeing a look of gratitude flash over Eugene's face before the other man nodded.

"Thanks, Eeg." Eugene whispered as they got back into the car and Egon nodded, gifting him with that soft, gentle smile once more.

* * *

They pulled up at the bustling college, parking the car and setting off across the massive grounds.

"Where do you want to go first?" Egon asked as they walked familiar walkways and he allowed himself a brief wallow in nostalgia. Eugene was silent for a moment, then he took a deep breath;

"Can we go to where I was last seen, the night I vanished?"

"Of course." Egon said, even as old feelings peppered him at the mere idea. It was the first time he'd felt grief like that, losing one of the few people he'd come to accept as a 'friend'. But it was much harder for Eugene, in his mind this was where his life had stopped, time passing strangely in the other dimension until his rescue.

They walked together in silence, neither sure what to say to the other until they reached that fateful intersection. The bookstore was long gone, replaced with a fancy coffee joint, but most of the residential buildings still looked just the same as they had that night. The roads had been re-paved and cleaned up, but the layout was exactly as before. They stood silently side by side, each of them ruminating on that night.

"It was pure chance, an unlucky occurrence," Eugene said at last "neither of us knew what would happen."

"Yes.." Egon said softly, feeling a little of the old guilt shift as he stood here once more, reunited with his friend-

Eugene felt like a heavy load had been taken off his shoulders, for just saying it out loud was a big task...

"Holy _CRAP_ \- is that who I think it is?" they both jumped as a loud voice met their ears. Egon's heart sank as he seen it belonged to the self-same guys he'd been making the brainless-plus-beer joke about earlier. They swarmed around Eugene with no regard for Spengler, forcing Egon to step back, clutching the strap of his bag tightly. He stayed silent as he heard them asking Eugene question after question;

"Geez, you haven't aged a day, did you vanish into another dimension or something? We're here for the reunion party-"

"I see a glimpse of you on the news, thought I was seein' things. I was drunk off my ASS, so I didn't think too much about it-"

Eugene laughed, it felt very strange seeing his old frat buddies again, only a little older now.

"It's a long story, but the short version is; I got hit by a car and was lost in some kind of dimensional rip. I eventually escaped, but the thing I was trapped there with would've probably eaten me if it wasn't for Egon's help."

"Wait, Egon? As in the guy you adopted as a pet project to try and socialise-"

A smattering of laughter followed and Eugene frowned angrily. Egon felt the acid in his stomach broil with barely hidden distaste for these lugheads. He cleared his throat now and they turned as one, finally seeing him there.

"Speak of the devil." one of them snickered.

"Nah, he's probably already in that containment vault!" another mocked. Egon didn't even blink, just stared, unblinking, at the group.

"Not in the traditional sense, but we _DO_ have several world-ending, class-unknown demons. Not that I would expect you to understand anything about spirits beyond their alcohol content." Egon drew himself up to his full height and glared at them now, smirking ever so slightly.

Their snickering fell quiet and the beefiest one took a step towards Egon now, he was just a few inches taller then Spengler, but built like a tank in comparison.

"You got something to say, ghost-boy?" he sneered "I don't care how famous you and your moron friends are, you're just an entertaining distraction-"

"At least I did something to preserve my brain, yours seems to have atrophied. Tell me, Which dead-end career has your arrogance gotten you into these days?"

The bigger guy snarled in fury at being talked down to by this puny little bookworm. Years of fury at this little twit boiled up and he drew back one massive fist, aiming to knock that smirk of Egon's face.

"Shame you didn't do something about your body, you little smart-ass-!"

"Egon-!" Eugene panicked, he was too far away to help-!

But what followed next stunned them all, especially Eugene.

Egon waited until the fist was close to hitting him, then he ducked down and angled his body so he was facing away from his attacker. He used his attackers momentum to his advantage, grabbing the jock's muscular arm and using his own weight and speed against him, succeeding in flipping him over his shoulder and dropping him to the ground. He twisted his would-be attackers arm just enough to make him stay put, placing one neatly polished loafer on his shoulder.

"I carry equipment that weighs approximately a hundred pounds, add in years of acclimatisation to that kind of weight plus a need for manoeuvrability and you have your mistake. Also, might I add that one of our group is a former marine instructor? He is _VERY_ knowledgeable about ways to keep in shape."

"Gahh, let me up, Spengler!" the guy flailed, more than a little unnerved by how quickly he'd lost control. How humiliating, being bested by a scrawny bookworm with a superiority complex!

Egon snorted, rolling his eyes but releasing his captive with an unconcerned shrug. The guy got to his feet, rubbing his shoulder and glaring daggers at Egon.

"C'mon Eugene," he grouched as he stalked past Spengler and back to his friends "let's go get a beer."

"Sorry, but I have plans." Eugene said, nodding at Egon. The guy who'd just endured a defeat at the genius' hands sneered at the spindly figure.

"Why, what're you trying to next, house train him?" the attacker seethed, but soon changed tack when Eugene stepped up to him, cold expression stopping his former friend mid-snicker.

"Egon is the sole reason I'm even alive, Josh. He could've gotten killed trying to bargain with that spirit, but he was prepared to try just to save MY sorry ass. Heck, him and his friends are the reason the city isn't so much people pate, so why don't you shove your head back up your ass already!"

Eugene's former friends were too busy glaring at **HIM** to see Egon's stunned expression as he watched them fight. They'd already forgotten he was even there…

-Why is he…what's he doing?- Egon panicked internally as he watched this unfold, seen it all go off the logical rails. Why was Eugene driving his former friends away, for **HIM**? It didn't fit with how he'd expected things to go. Was it because this was their first date-?

This horrible realisation hit him and his insides went cold. He put a hand to his mouth, feeling strangely about to throw up-

—my task was to help him rebuild his life. I promised his father...—

He jumped as a loud ringing sounded from his pants pocket right that second and he gratefully grabbed the phone and answered it.

"Egon here."

"Hay, Egon?" It was Peter "we got a bit of a weird one here, even Ray's stumped! Here, he's either doing some kind of impression of a choking seagull or he wants the phone-"

Egon blinked, walking away down the pathway to escape the noise of the argument as he heard Ray's harried tones replace Peter's laid-back drawl.

"Finally, that's the stick-in-the-mud gotten rid of, crazy a-hole.' 'Josh' grouched "what a weirdo freak. C'mon Eugene, drop the buddy-buddy act and let's go take a look at our old dorm room-"

He set a hand on Eugene's shoulder, but got another shock when Eugene shrugged it off, his expression still furious.

"Don't you _EVER_ insult him again." He said icily.

"What's your deal?" one of the others said. "Why're you defending that frigid little freak-"

Eugene laughed coldly "You wanna know what 'my deal' is? Alright then." He realised with a sense of pity just how shallow his former friends were.

"He could've just let the reaper take me, he didn't _HAVE_ to bargain with it to let me go. He gave up something valuable just to give me a second chance and let me reunite with my father. He said I deserved the chance to make up all those missing years, that he couldn't just walk away. He got into parapsychology in his efforts to find out what'd happened and give my dad some peace."

Some of the other guys looked a bit surprised, glancing at the ringleader. Maybe Spengler was more than they expected-? He clearly had a heart if he'd faced death to defend Eugene.

"Now if you don't mind, I need to catch up to my _FRIEND_." Eugene emphasised the last word as he spun on his heel, walking away with renewed purpose. He didn't bother looking back and ignored the few that called after him.

* * *

He spent several minutes searching for Egon, but eventually spotted him striding down an empty, tree-lined avenue. He was walking very rapidly, the phone clenched tightly in his fist. Eugene broke into a jog to catch up to the man.

"Egon!" Eugene finally caught up to him, snagging his shoulder and spinning the doctor round to face him. Egon looked odd, a strange expression settling on his face as he glanced calmly at Eugene.

"Where do you want to see next?" He queried robotically, as if none of it had happened and he was following a pre-programmed schedule.

"Eeg?" Eugene studied him worriedly, why was he pretending nothing had occurred? "What's the matter?"

Egon was silent for several long seconds and his date was just starting to think he'd forgotten how to talk when-

"Why would you do that?" Egon asked, his voice a flat monotone.

"Do what?" Eugene responded, puzzled, "Eeg, what's going on?"

Egon shook his head, stepping back an inch. He let his gaze roam around the tree-line path and park around them, relaxing as he seen neither their pursuers or anyone else in sight. He disliked the ide of his petty upset being witnessed by any other than Eugene-

"Eeg, talk to me." Eugene set his hands on Egon's shoulders "What are you talking about? Why did I do what?"

"Those guys, pushing them away. They were your best friends from before, so why did you side against them? I thought that you wanted to re-establish your former bonds?"

"At first, yeah. But you heard those guys, they were acting like kids- look how they treated you-" he shook his head with a scowl, blood boiling as he thought about what they'd called Egon "I couldn't just sit by and let them do that."

"You shouldn't throw away something important because of how you feel about me! Your former life is valuable." Egon said sharply "I'm a secondary impor-"

"Egon Spengler," Eugene said sternly, cutting Egon off with one look "don't you _DARE_ finish that sentence. You're right, my old life _IS_ important. But this isn't my old life, its a new one and I haven't forgotten how I felt, the night I disappeared. My plan was always to tell you I had a crush on you. I took you to that particular bar because I knew they didn't frequent it and I wanted you to be able to relax. Those guys were only ever concerned about two things; reputation as alpha males and getting some tail."

Egon flushed at the blatant euphemism, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Eugene set a hand under his chin, tilting Egon's gaze up to meet his.

"If they're gonna be such a-holes, then they're not even worth bothering with. I appreciate you trying to help me put my life back together, but I don't think that those guys are a part that I want to keep." he scrunched his nose "I'm pretty sure they're the first people to have a collective IQ averaging in the minus numbers."

Egon made a very weak chuckling noise and Eugene smiled gently, seeing a flicker of hope there.

"What was it you said earlier? One beer?"

He caught Egon's eye, giving an encouraging smile until Egon's lips twitched and curved up just a little.

"Let's go home." Eugene said gently. Egon nodded, falling in beside Eugene as they walked in silence.

* * *

Back in the car, Egon offered to drive Eugene home, it was getting late…

Eugene asked they stop at the bottom of the driveway for a moment, so Egon put the car in idle, wondering what was on his mind?

It turned out to be very simple actually, as he swiftly found out when Eugene undid both their seatbelts so he could pull Egon in for a kiss. His warm hands slipped up Egon's sides, toying with the hem of his shirt where it'd slipped free of his waistband in the tussle. His tongue brushed Egon's lips and Spengler didn't hesitate in granting him further access, delicious shivers running through him as he felt Eugene press as close to him as the car allowed. They kissed hungrily and Egon uttered a little groan as they finally parted a minute later, his lips tingling from the kiss...

As he was released from the embrace, Egon caught a brief flash of regret in Eugene's eyes and pressed his hands either side of his face, making Eugene meet his gaze.

"What's wrong?" He asked firmly and Eugene hesitated a second, then turned his head to kiss Egon's left palm, sighing.

"I'm sorry about those creeps, Eeg. I hated seeing you so down when you deserved so much better. So much for creating a perfect first date." Eugene confessed, but to his surprise Egon just smiled softly, resting his forehead against Eugene's.

"It was perfect to me, fights and all." he said softly and Eugene truly thought he was going to explode with how adorably honest Egon was.

"Really?" he asked softly as Egon looked up at him, those unwavering grey eyes locking onto his. He nodded, expression firm.

"Next time, leave it up to me. That's how this works. At least, I think so..." Egon frowned, he needed to do more research- but that thought was swiftly dismissed when Eugene kissed him gently.

"Just do whatever comes naturally, Eeg." he beamed, like a kid in a candy shop "ring me when you have a particular day ready?"

"Mm-hm!" Egon nodded, being treated to one more kiss before Eugene got out and jogged up the driveway.

Egon put the car in reverse and headed for home, or HQ at least. His heart was beating happily as he drove the streets, he'd had a successful first date! This was a new facet of his life, and his curiosity was well and truly let loose now…

* * *

When he got back to the firehouse, Winston was the sole remaining Ghostbuster left. Peter had gone out **AGAIN** and Raymond was back at the shop.

"How did things go with helping Eugene settle in?" Zeddemore asked as Egon hung his coat up in his locker, not knowing that the trip had been a front for a first date. Egon shut the locker door, expression contemplative.

"A little different to how I had imagined." He finally answered "We took a trip out to the college, to see the place where the incident happened all that time ago."

"Was it bad?" Winston asked, sensing a trace of sadness in Spengler's voice.

"Not really, no. Eugene and I agreed that it felt strange seeing that spot again, there was a lot attached to that place...but that was it, really. At least it until we ran into some of Eugene's old frat buddies anyway."

"Pfft, bet that was enlightening." Winston rolled his eyes and Egon laughed shortly, shaking his head.

"It was, in a manner of speaking. One of them decided to pick up where they had last left off and tried to hit me. So as to discourage such foolishness, I dropped him on his over-inflated ego. As you can no doubt imagine, it did not go over favourably with their 'alpha male' mindset."

'How..?" Winston asked curiously and proceeded to stare in surprise as Egon explained the manoeuvre he'd used.

"Wow. I'm impressed, Egon. You were paying attention when I was watching that instructional video, weren't you? I thought you were elbow-deep in your work at the time.."

"I can multi-task quite favourably." Egon said coolly, but not without a hint of pride.

"Damn straight, my man." Winston grinned, seeing Egon smile a moment. He seemed to do that more often lately, since Eugene had returned to his life at any rate.

"Where is everybody? Peter, Ray?" Egon looked around at the empty station, only now noticing the lack of shenanigans.

"Peter's off at some bar and Ray's goofing about at the shop again. Dunno what he's doing, but he said he's almost finished. At least he seems in better spirits now."

"Good." Egon nodded "Now we just need to deal with Peter's apparent drinking problem."

"Yeah, he keeps drinking, there's the problem. Dunno what's gotten into him lately and it's not like he ever tells us anything, anyhow!" Winston threw his hands in the air "Ray's not helping by feeling sorry for him every damn time! What Peter needs sometimes is a good hard slap."

"Ray is just very compassionate, it can't be helped." Egon drummed his fingers against his leg as he looked around for something to work on, finding nothing he headed for the stairway "Eugene shares that characteristic, he'll put himself in harms way to fight for the right reason."

He wandered off upstairs to work, leaving Winston to ponder if the fight with Eugene's frat buddies had had something to do with Eugene defending Egon?

* * *

Peter was informed by the bartender upon arrival that Ivan was caught up in business tonight and was thus away from the club. Peter stuck around a while, but when he spotted Ivan's grouchy co-owner glaring at him from across the room, he decided to go home before he got pissed off and punched someone. Namely that guy.

He was just walking by the alley next to the club when he thought he heard a noise, like a whimper. Glancing around to make sure nobody else was watching, he slipped into the shadows.

Two guys built like industrial compacters were backing a skinny, greasy-haired teenager back against a wall, cracking their knuckles and using every cliched threat in the book. Peter rolled his eyes, maybe he'd had too much to drink but he just couldn't **STAND** assholes like these!

"Please just let me go...I-I don't have that kind of money!" the victim pleaded.

"Y'know, aren't you a little too old to be bullying a kid?"

The two heavy-set guys turned to face the unexpected newcomer. Peter leaned against the wall, hands shoved in his pockets, looking entirely unfazed.

"Back off, this aint your business." one of the guys said, turning back to the petrified kid who was trying to slink away.

"Nope." Peter said, freeing his hands from his pockets "I can't stand cowards, and beating on someone half your size is just a dick move. Feel like big men, do ya?"

He shrugged, taking a step forward using every bit of body language training he had to give an air of not-giving-a-crap "I mean, what's next? Buying a strangely phallic sports car-?"

That did it. The next second, one of the goons lunged for him, but Peter was long out of the way by the time he swung a big, meaty fist. He ducked the various blows the two thugs tried to land, using his skinnier size to his advantage. It went fairly well, until the kid ran. Peter seen him escaping out of the corner of his eye and faltered JUST long enough for one of the thugs to get an opening in his defences. The world spun as he was hit solidly, his lip bleeding as the cold pavement rushed up to meet him. He quickly braced himself, preventing further facial injury as he gathered his legs under him, preparing to resume the fight. He'd already given one of them a black eye and wasn't planning on giving up now!

But just as the two goons stepped towards him, there was a loud crackle from their earpieces and a voice barked something that he couldn't hear. He didn't need to, it was a long enough distraction, allowing him to uppercut one and sweep the others legs out from under him.

Then he was off, racing down the alley and on to freedom.

* * *

The pain sunk in just a few blocks down, as the buzz from the alcohol wore off and the adrenaline faded. He'd gone on a roundabout route to give them the slip, although it didn't seem like they'd even tried to chase him. No footsteps pounded the asphalt behind him, no shouts of fury and vengeance echoed in the night air...

-Been awhile since I did that!- Peter thought, shivering as he stumbled along. He didn't realise where his feet had carried him until he was stood in front of it, but he'd walked right up to Ray's store. He could feel dried blood on his chin and neck, and winced as the cut began to bleed again. He could see a light was on upstairs and with a heavy sigh, he knocked on the door.

Ray was startled out of his work when someone knocked hurriedly on the shop door downstairs. He hesitated a moment, waiting to see if they'd go away, but they persisted and didn't seem inclined to give up.

With a sigh, Ray got up and trekked downstairs, seeing a figure through the tinted glass.

"I'm afraid we're shut- what the heck happened to you?!" his sentence trailed off into an exclamation as he recognised who it was, even in the low light. He opened the door and stared at the bedraggled Venkman, taking in the blood on his hands and clothing. He quickly ushered him inside, locking the door behind his friend as a million questions begged to be asked.

"Got in a fight, couple of jackasses were beatin' up a goddamn _KID_ , Ray." Peter mumbled around the throbbing pain. Ray shut his mouth, nodding. That answered that question then, he thought worriedly.

* * *

Ray led Peter to the little dining area above the shop, telling him to stay put while he fetched some supplies. Peter sat atop the table, head pounding now that the adrenaline had worn off. He was still staring dully into space when Ray returned with a bowl of warm water, a cloth and a first aid kit.

Seeing the way Peter was sitting hunched up and seemed in pain when he straightened up, Ray asked if Peter had any other injuries?

Peter dismissed this concern at first, shaking his head silently. Ray frowned, setting the kit down on the table.

"I really think you should let me check, I did pass my first aid training, Peter. Unless you'd rather go to the hospital-?"

"It's- Alright, alright." Peter winced, shrugging his shirt off a second later and revealing some rapidly darkening bruises. Ray flinched in sympathy, but didn't bother asking any further questions, Peter didn't seem like he was in the mood for explaining anyway. Keeping to his task, Ray ran his fingers over the bruises, pressing lightly to check if any ribs were broken or fractured beneath them.

Again, Peter seen how Ray barely reacted, didn't even seem bothered by the fact he was almost intimately close. Every time Ray's gentle fingers brushed his skin, Peter felt a minor jolt run through him and tried to tell himself it was just shock and pain. But who was he fooling? He stole a glimpse at Ray as he examined his ribs and studied his friends features closely. The way Ray's dark hair brushed his forehead, the way those glasses perched on his nose, the hazel brown of his eyes...the shape of his lips-

He glanced away quickly as Ray straightened up, but he didn't seem to have noticed.

When Stantz began cleaning up the cut on his friend's mouth, his thumb gently brushed Peter's lower lip, making the psychologist tense up.

"Sorry." Ray said, mistaking it for pain "but I need to clean this up."

"Ray-" Peter grasped his wrist, pulling his face closer to Stantz's. He thought he seen a flicker behind Ray's eyes as he brought him close enough to chance a kiss, the urge having became too strong, he needed to see if his theory was right-

But the cut twinged, pain lanced through his lip and he was forced to let go, instinctively pressing a hand to his mouth as the taste of blood hit his tongue.

"Ugh..." he coughed, grimacing in disgust. Blood had a pretty gross taste to it…

"P-peter?" he looked up, seeing Ray looking more like...well, Ray. His eyes were wide and there was a faint pink tinge to his cheeks.

"So, stopped the act, did you?" Peter said slowly, trying not to start any fresh bleeding as he spoke.

"What do you mean-?" Stantz stammered.

"I'm not blind, Ray. You cant out-psyche _ME_. You've been going around acting like you're on drugs or something for the last day or so, all smiles and vacant expression."

Ray felt a jab of red-alert level panic, like an invisible band was tightening around his lungs. He'd worked so hard to set things right, he couldn't mess this up now! So with that in mind, he made a snap decision and gave his inner self a shove, then resumed his "act." He forced a calm smile, meeting Peter's eyes even as he seen the concern in them.

"I don't know what you're talking about Peter, I'm not up to anything. Nothing's happened and I'm really not sure what it is you're seeing? Now, stay still, I have a job to do."

Peter blinked silently, feeling genuine concern bloom in his stomach as Ray retreated into himself again, that eerie expression taking over. It was all going a little stepford….

What was Ray doing to himself? It made no sense that he suddenly felt nothing, Ray was too empathetic to just **STOP** feeling. He stared at Ray, but the man's expression didn't so much as waver. Finally, Peter sighed, dropping his gaze and letting the tension ebb from his muscles.

"There." Ray nodded as he soaked the cloth in the warm water "this won't take long."

"Ray." Peter spoke softly as the warm washcloth pressed against his lip again "I'm sorry."

Ray's hand faltered, a slight tremble evident as he held it there. He wanted to speak, but his throat was locked up tight...Peter was so close, and Ray couldn't ignore how the man's lips felt to his fingertips as he tended to the cut on them...

Peter closed his eyes then, fully expecting Ray to issue some pseudo-cheery quip and resume his task. But instead, he felt the washcloth gently move away, then warm lips brushed his. His heart about stopped in place, then took off at 100mph in compensation. Ray's lips were warm and oh, so soft…

He heard himself utter a faint and almost plaintive moan, caught thoroughly off guard by the action as a delectable thrill danced up his spine.

—What are you doing?!— Ray's brain screamed at him as he let his deepest desire win out and chanced placing just one small kiss on Peter's lips. His heart pounded from guilt, and- to his shame- pleasure, as his lips caressed Venkman's. Finally, his guilt won out and he forced himself to break the kiss before it became impossible.

Peter opened his eyes as Ray stepped back, with the latter quickly turning to leave. The brief glimpse Venkman got of his expression, that of a heartbroken man riddled with guilt, made him move as quickly as he could, grabbing Ray's wrist and pulling him back to face him.

Ray stared at him, expression a mix between vulnerable and closed off.

"Let go, Peter." he said softly, a faint tremor to his voice "you know the truth now, so please just let it rest. I shouldn't have done that, but I-" he cut off, tearing up as he felt everything start to unravel again.

He looked so desperate to Peter, so anxious to shut this whole business down and run away that it had to be hurting him. Had he been wanting to kiss Peter all this time? This sweet innocence that was so characteristic of Ray made Peter's heart thud a little louder against his ribs.

"Why did you never tell me, Ray?" Peter asked at last and Ray flinched, laughing bitterly.

"How was I to know we had that in common? You were always dating some gorgeous girl throughout university, what was I supposed to think?!"

"How did you hide it for so long?" Peter asked, realising the timescale and it frankly made his head spin. Ray snorted, trying to slip free again, but Peter squeezed his wrist gently and he stilled. Finally, he spoke.

"Through a mix of meditation and some other techniques, I was able to stop thinking about the issue and make it seem trivial. Eventually, I just began lying when anyone asked and it started to feel like the truth."

Peter realised that was what Ray had been doing lately, too, cutting himself off from his emotions to try spare any further fighting. He groaned, facepalming as he realised **JUST** how badly he'd screwed the pooch on this one.

"Ray, as a psychologist, I can say this from years of experience; Never, EVER do that to yourself, ever AGAIN."

Ray blinked, surprised at the seriousness of Peter's expression.

"I'm serious, Raymond. You'll hurt yourself-"

"W-what does it mater to you?" Ray snapped, his suppressed anger bubbling up now "You got what you wanted, I'm in no position to spill your precious secret, not when I have the same one! So just... _JUST STOP IT_!"

Peter blinked, his next statement dying on his lips as this outburst silenced his lecture.

Ray seen Peter's stunned expression and winced, expecting to be lectured and shouted at. He mistook shock for anger and frantically got his hand free, babbling about fetching some fresh water and darting away. But Peter sprang off the desk, running to catch up and stand between him and the door.

"Ray, _STOP_." Peter said sternly and Ray wilted back, bracing himself for another telling off.

But instead of scolding him, Peter did the last thing that Ray ever expected.

He put his hands on Ray's shoulders, regarded him a moment, then pulled his scared friend into his hold. The warmth of the unexpected hug was enough to make Ray pause, and the fact that Peter was minus his shirt set Ray's pulse going...

"I'm sorry, Ray." Peter said it again, unaware of this "this is all my fault. I don't blame you for anything, let alone just now." He was referring to the tentative kiss, knowing that it had to have taken a lot of Ray's courage to chance it, given how scared and confused he had to have been.

Ray's heart was pounding like a jackhammer and he was pressed so close to Peter now that he could feel the warmth of Peters bare chest through his shirt. Peters warm, strong hands were pressing into his back as Peter continued his apology.

"I had no idea and I never intended you to do this to yourself because of me. You want the truth? I was afraid that if you told the others, they wouldn't be all too accepting. So I resorted to intimidation, thinking I had to protect myself. If I'd had any clue you were...well, I'd have subjected you to a load of inappropriate stories and very crass jokes."

Ray uttered a faltering laugh, albeit one somewhat dampened by exhausted tears as Peter apologised. His forehead was resting on Peter's shoulder, the warmth and feel of his skin making Ray feel a little light-headed at how close he was. He could detect that same scent as before, beneath the faint tang of blood and the scent of the night air from his clothing, which still clung to his skin even this long after removing his shirt.

"I guess I'm just not good for anyone, let alone myself." Peter laughed softly and unseen by him, Ray frowned a little on hearing this "my time with Dana taught me that, I take everything as a joke. If I'm not serious, it doesn't have to be either."

He trailed off as Ray shook his head. Why was he objecting?

"Ray?" he asked curiously as the other man straightened up, looking firmly at him now.

"You guys never met my aunt Lois, did you? She's a smart lady, used to tell me all these little sayings when I was a kid. One of her favourites is "you can't love anyone else until you learn to love yourself."

Peter raised an eyebrow "that one was never in any of my books."

"Well, it should be. Aunt Lois is smart when it comes to stuff like that. You'd like her Peter, she can see right through people and isn't scared to say so either."

Peter smiled very faintly, she did sound like a real riot at parties.

Ray bit his lip as silence fell between them, unsure what else to say...

They were close enough that Peter found it hard to resist lightly brushing his lips against Ray's, hearing him gasp softly, the sound so sweetly innocent. Yet he didn't push Peter away, as Venkman kissed him as best he could with the cut on his lip.

Ray's head was spinning, but just for a second, here and now, he let himself pretend the kiss meant something. His first REAL kiss with a guy, with someone he'd always imagined was out of his reach, to boot. A sensual shiver ran down his back when one of Peter's hands came to rest at the base of his neck, tangling in his hair as he kissed Ray again.

For Peter, kissing the gentle mannered Ray was a far cry from his hot and heavy make-outs with Ivan. They weren't dancing around the issue, he and Rhodes, they knew what they both wanted. Sex, passion and release.

But Ray, he was different. For one thing they'd been friends for years, he really shouldn't be doing this. Yet Peter couldn't take his lips off him, wishing the cut on his lip wasn't in the way or he'd really give Ray a kiss to remember-

They parted at last, both of them flushed and unsure what else to do or say. Ray knew this couldn't last, so he was the first to step back, reminding himself that Peter technically **HAD** someone already, that guy at the bar. It had to be serious, right?

"Ray." Peter's voice was soft, husky and Ray couldn't avoid looking at him. In the ambient lamp light, he looked very handsome. "Again, I-"

"I-it's alright," Ray smiled, he truly wasn't that angry any more. The truth was out and he felt like a load had been taken off his back. He reluctantly stepped back from Peter, looking at the man in front of him "it's all straightened out now. Let's just get back to normal."

"Sure." Peter said softly and Ray relaxed, looking a little happier.

* * *

He showed Peter to the bedroom, saying he could sleep there and also to help himself to any food or drink he fancied. Peter asked where HE was going to sleep and Ray smiled, saying he'd sleep on the couch in the kitchen. Once he tidied the books off it, that is.

He bid his friend a flustered goodnight, then made his way to the kitchen to try and marshall his thoughts over a cup of coffee. With the drink downed, Ray flopped onto the couch, feeling the books poking into him. He knew he needed to get changed, but he was just going to take a rest for a minute…

* * *

Alone in Ray's bed, Peter pulled the covers up over himself. They held that same scent as Ray's skin and he groaned softly. He HAD to stop thinking those sorts of thoughts about Ray, he was his best friend! He'd never forgive himself if he hurt Ray any more than he had so far.

Ray had seemed happy to have their short-lived feud sorted out, and he clearly valued his friendship with Peter far more then Venkman had ever considered. He'd nearly lost one of the few people he'd learned to trust since university, all because of his rash behaviour, and he couldn't let it happen again.

Even if his heart still thudded when he thought about Ray's kiss…


	4. A Choice To Make

The next thing Ray knew, it was morning and his back was aching in many different book-shaped locations. He stumbled off the couch, hitting the switch on the coffee machine and listening to it gurgle into life as he tried to get his brain in gear.

"Mhhh, do I smell coffee?"

Ray jumped, he'd almost forgotten Peter was here. Glancing over at the doorway, he seen Venkman had redressed in his own trousers, but he'd swapped his shirt for one of Ray's.

"Sorry," he said, rubbing his eyes as he leant against the doorframe "my shirt has blood on it. Ew."

Ray felt a nudge of affection as he studied Peter. He looked different pre-coffee, and wearing one of Ray's slightly-too-baggy shirts made him look oddly innocent. Ray booted those thoughts from his head and cleared his throat as Peter stumbled in and sat down at the kitchen table.

"I see. Leave it here and I'll run it through the wash when I come back."

"Why're you living _HERE_ now, Ray?" Peter asked shrewdly, watching as Ray opened and shut his mouth, his face reddening as he failed to make up an answer. Ray could see from Peter's face that he'd already guessed the real reason and was just testing the waters to see if Ray would spill the beans, but mercifully he didn't push it when all Ray could offer was silence.

Ray cleared his throat again, asking if the injury from last night still hurt?

"It's much better now, I should heal soon." Peter shrugged nonchalantly as he accepted the coffee cup Ray handed him, the delicious smell of caffiene doing a lot to rouse his sleepy mind. Ray had added some of his favourite spices to the coffee as he often did at home and now he watched Peter's eyebrows raise as he took a first sip, then another..

"This is really good, this some fancy brand?" Venkman asked, breathing in the subtle smell.

"No, not really. It's just something I've been making for awhile now." Ray said with a faint smile. Peter nodded in admiration, finishing the rest in no time at all. He ate breakfast while Ray went to change his clothes, then they made their way outside to turn to HQ.

* * *

Winston did a double take when he seen Peter's injury, but Venkman just shrugged and blamed it on a bar fight, it _**was**_ the truth after all. Egon correctly assumed that he'd found his way to Ray's shop after he'd escaped the fight, but he was a little distracted trying to think up a 'perfect' date for Eugene, so he didn't ask any further questions.

He knew his friend liked sports, but also food and music. He was caught between these options when by chance he caught an advert on the radio for a local baseball game and had a sudden idea…

Peter seen Egon suddenly hop out of his chair and scoot off like he had a bee up his butt, but he just shrugged and ignored it. Weird and Egon were old friends by this point, so he'd long since stopped asking why he did anything.

* * *

As the day passed, Peter found his mind straying again and again to the way Ray had looked almost heart wrenchingly sad when he'd parted from their kiss. Then he remembered Ray had seen him with Ivan that first night. He obviously thought Peter was...

-Why am I even thinking about this?!- he groaned, rubbing his forehead –Ray is off-limits. I've done enough harm to him already.-

But Ray's words about 'learning to love yourself before you love others' still hung around in his memory for the rest of that day. He'd blurted out that he didn't take anything seriously, hadn't he? What was it about being around Ray that made him feel like letting the barriers drop, however briefly it was? Was it because he was his friend, because he trusted him?

He didn't know.

He was in a mopey sort of mood that day, at least that was how Winston described it to Egon. Ray didn't say anything, just sequestered himself down in the basement and losing himself in the maintenance of the containment unit.

* * *

But he too found himself idly ruminating on that brief, shy kiss with Peter. He knew it likely didn't mean anything, Peter had just been...what **HAD** he been doing? Why had he tentatively tried to kiss Ray at all? Was it the shock of realising Ray was the same as he was, he'd simply been unable to resist..?

-Too many questions. Idiot.- he sighed, banging his head against the containment unit as he finished fixing some of the couplings.

"I don't think that giving yourself a concussion will speed up your work."

It was Egon, peering down at him from the top of the stairs. Seeing Ray's attention focused on him now, he descended partway down the stairs, holding a book in his hands. "we have a job, let's go."

"Oh! Right, coming." Ray coughed sheepishly, shutting the cabinet and following after Egon. He glanced at the title of the book as they walked up the stairs together.

"I didn't know you liked baseball, Egon?"

"Hm? Oh, this is not for me, it's for Eugene."

"Ah, I see." Ray nodded, then asked how the guy was getting on, did he fancy joining them for dinner one of the nights?

Egon smiled, happy his friends seemed to like the man and said he'd tell Eugene when he seen him next. Those stomach butterflies were back at the mere thought of a second 'date' with Eugene. He hiccuped as one of them apparently tried to escape, clapping a hand over his mouth on instinct. Ray shot him a sideways glance, asking was he feeling OK? Egon nodded and as Ray strode ahead, he looked down at his hand, expecting to see a small fluttery insect. Nothing there.

He sighed, this really was a situation that required a chart to clarify, but he didn't want the others finding it. Especially Peter, he'd never hear the end of it if that was the case.

* * *

He rang Eugene that same evening, the stomach butterflies finally leaving him alone as he heard Eugene enthusiastically agree to the date, said he'd see him then. When he put the phone down, he was smiling again, although he didn't realise it.

Ray stayed at HQ that night, back in his familiar bed in the shared sleeping space, although part of him still wanted to retreat to his office, what with Peter only across the room from him.

But the matter was over now, right? So he should be able to relax.

* * *

The next day, he again went downstairs to the containment unit to let his mind wander. The thing didn't really need any maintenance, he just liked the solitude. He kept thinking back to that guy he'd seen Peter with and if he had to be completely honest, he was-

"Hey man, you alright?"

" _YEEP_!" Ray jumped about a mile in the air as Winston suddenly seemed to appear out of nowhere. Ray gawped up at him and let out a high pitched wheeze as he eyeballed the former marine;

"Geez, where'd you come from?!"

"The stairs, goofy, same as usual. You were the one having a staring contest with the unit."

Ray felt his face redden, face-palming to try hide it.

"You sure you're OK, Ray?" Winston couldn't help notice how quiet Ray had been the last week or so.

Ray smiled, nodding up at his friend, "I'm fine Winston. Just a little run down lately."

Winston nodded, he'd had days like that where everything just seemed determined to bug him.

"If you're feeling run down, the first thing to do-"

"-Is get the license plate number!" Peter piped up from behind Winston now. Somehow he'd silently crept down the stairs to hover behind Zeddemore.

"Sweet merciful crap!" Ray wailed, holding the clipboard in front of him like a shield "will you all stop creeping up on me!"

Peter arched one elegant eyebrow, his expression composed of "wut?".

"What's all the noise?" Egon poked his head round the door and upon seeing Ray twitch he raised an eyebrow and called back over his shoulder.

"Janine, stop letting dr Stantz near the caffeine pills, it's happening again."

That dealt with, he told them they had a job, it was time to roll!

* * *

The call had them wandering around the underground tunnels, which they hadn't seen since the river of slime incident. Peter had been partnered with Ray and the latter honestly couldn't come up with anything to say to the former.

"Hay, Ray?"

"Mmm?

"Did you know coconuts can migrate? They're planning on meeting up with those sponges you talked about before."

"Mmm.."

"You're not listening to a single word I'm saying, are you?" Peter slipped an arm around Ray's back as he spoke and craftily pinched his side. Ray yelped so loudly that it echoed around the vaulted tunnels.

"Anyone else hear a gerbil?" Winston asked, then the radio fell silent again as Egon shushed him.

"Peter!" Ray hissed, his heart racing and cheeks reddening in tandem. Peter chuckled softly, the quiet tempo of his voice almost lost in the shadowy tunnels.

"You're _STILL_ spacing," he suddenly sobered up, smile fading a little as he glanced closely at Ray "you're not..doing that meditation-memory-mess again are you?"

" _NO_! No.." Ray shook his head rapidly, wide hazel eyes looking up at Peter "I'm fine, really. Like I said to Winston, I'm just a little tired out."

"Get new tyres."

"Ha."

Peter opened his mouth to make another joke, but the words died on his lips as a splashing sound alerted them to the fact that something was following them…

He and Ray shared 'uh-oh' glances and turned to face it, together.

Conversation was pretty much abandoned after that, as they were kept busy first running away from, then chasing the particularly disgruntled ghost of a ghostly alligator. Then catching it before it **LITERALLY** came back to bite them in the ass!

* * *

Splashed with cold water and breathing hard, they dragged themselves to the nearest service ladder.

"I hate getting wet." Peter grumbled as they began climbing up to reach the upper level of the tunnels. He scrambled free of the confines of the manhole and helped pull Ray up the last rickety step, but as he stepped back his foot slipped on some muck and he fell over, pulling Ray with him.

"Oww...wha?" Ray wheezed, pulling himself up onto his elbows- only to realise he was lying on Peter. Their faces were mere inches away and he could feel the solid warmth of Peter's body, pinned beneath his own.

"Comfy there?" Peter said, lips curving enticingly into a smile as Ray stared blankly at him for a second.

"Oh-! Sorry!" Ray yelped, face turning bright red as he scrambled to his feet, pulling Peter with him before releasing him. His heart was pounding so loudly he was almost expecting Peter to ask what that noise was?

"Nope, my fault. I slipped." Peter said idly, hooking two fingers in one of Ray's belt loops and pulling the Ghostbuster to his side. Ray squeaked, Peter's wanton flirting managed to make him feel so…wanted. But again his mind drifted to the fact Peter had that guy at the bar, the good-looking one with the fancy clothes.

-He couldn't possibly be interested in you.— Ray scolded himself. He wasn't some super-confident playboy type as Peter seemed to like, he was feeling nervous at just being this close! He tried to think of a way to say something, to snap himself out of this-

Luckily for him, voices drifted towards them and Peter let Ray's belt go, shifting seamlessly back into a relaxed posture. By the time the other two found them, Peter looked as bored as ever and Ray was apparently double-checking his PKE readings.

"Did you two get it?" Egon asked, raising an eyebrow at their soggy uniforms.

"Yup, one ghost gator, all boxed up!" Peter said smugly, tapping the trap at his waist.

"Did anyone ever find that gerbil?" Winston asked as they left, with a bemused Ray asking **WHAT** gerbil?

* * *

That evening, as Winston went out for a date with his girlfriend and Egon was holed away in his lab, Ray found himself drifting aimlessly. He wandered into his office, but couldn't find anything to do there. So he went downstairs but Janine told him to scram, his bored sighing was distracting her. He went back upstairs, to the room where their beds were all neatly made, with little artefacts dotted on each one to show who it belonged to.

Ray knelt down by and rummaged in his bedside locker, finding a book he'd been trying to finish for ages in there and figuring it was as good a try as anything. Just as he straightened up, however, Peter waltzed in.

"Well, hello there." he said with a knowing smile. Ray drummed his fingers on the cover of his book, unable to find anything coherent to say. How was Peter always so sure of himself?

Fingers brushing his cheek snapped him out of his daze and he realised Peter was standing in front of him, looking slightly concerned.

"Earth to Raymond?" he asked softly, making Ray flush. Sweet merciful crap, did he have to stand so close? Ray was finding it difficult to avoid his gaze, he was sure the far wall would catch fire with the way he was staring at it. Then suddenly Peter's lips were brushing his and his heart jumped painfully, why was he doing this when he had someone?

Peter looked concerned and even a little hurt when Ray hesitantly pulled away from him.

"Ray?" Peter asked.

"I have to go!' Ray said in a rush "I-i don't want to intrude."

"Intrude on _WHAT_ , Ray? You're making less sense then Egon after 15 cups of coffee! He was being sick for hours after that one.." Peter mused, during which time Ray tried to slip by him. But Peter moved in a flash and his quick fingers curled around Stantz's belt loop again and Ray found himself snared firmly back in Peter's arms.

"Out with it, Ray." Peter ordered. Ray bit his lip, anger at Venkman for teasing him warring with the worried way Peter was regarding him. In the end, he blurted it out;

"You can't forget about that guy at the bar- this isn't fair on him is it? If y-you...keep...flirting?" his voice trailed off into a whisper as his confidence deserted him.

Peter stared so blankly at him, that for a second Ray thought he'd had some kind of aneurysm, then Venkman released one arm from around Ray's waist and face-palmed.

"What are you doing now?!" Ray bleated.

"Ray, have you ever heard of Friends with Benefits? Here's a hint; the benefit is sex-"

" _PETER_!" Ray yelped loudly.

Peter chuckled and released him, it was kinda cute just how innocent Ray really was. He had a hand clapped over his mouth now, those wide hazel eyes peering at Peter as his face turned red.

"Seriously," Peter said, realising this was something he clearly needed to explain to Ray "sometimes ya just want to get some, ya know? So, some of us just hook up at clubs, there's nothing complicated about it."

Ray took this in, dropping his hand to his side once more, then a thought occurred to him.

"But, doesn't it get lonely?" he asked, making Peter blink at him in surprise. Ray's gaze was distant, as if imagining the scenario and Peter realised he didn't have a quick reply ready, for he'd never given it any real thought.

Peter opened his mouth, then closed it again, not making a sound. Was it lonely? The sex was fun, sure, but he didn't exactly bother getting to know anyone that well. Getting too close meant too many risks, right?

Ray glanced back up at him now, seeing Peter was actually at a loss for words, for once. Yet again he got the feeling there was a lot more to Peter that nobody ever got to see, things he poured his considerable talents into hiding

"I don't know." Peter said at last and Ray's heart twinged a little at how oddly quiet Peter suddenly seemed. "It's easier this way. That's all I can tell you. Still, Ivan-" he cut off, coughing.

So that was his name, Ray thought. He smiled now, turning to leave even as his mind swore at him to turn back.

"Sounds like someone worth hanging on to. I'm glad for you, Peter." he managed another paper-thin smile as he reached the door, then he was gone.

"I think I just got outwitted." Peter said to himself in the silence.

He thought about Ivan, the heated passionate sex- Then he thought about the man he'd just let escape him once more. The subtlety of Ray's kiss, the gentle nature of the guy- he wasn't suited for that kind of fast-fling lifestyle.

-This is where differ, you and I, Raymond.- Peter thought idly, then jumped out of his skin as the bell began clanging. He ran for the fireman's pole, sliding effortlessly down it to land beside Ecto-1. And nearly on Ray. As it was, they were less then a few inches apart and Ray let out a loud squeak when Peter tapped him on the shoulder.

"Honk!" Peter jabbed him on the nose and ran over to the passenger seat, giggling in his usual fashion. Ray shook his head and on seeing Janine twirl a finger beside her head, he nodded.

"I SAW that." Peter said from inside the car "guess what guys? Rear view mirrors!"

Ray face-palmed while Janine just rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair. Egon came haring down the stairs a moment later, already dressed in his uniform. They piled into the car and out the door, heading for the next bit of ectoplasmic madness.

* * *

That night, Ray was out of bed at 3 am and heading to the kitchen for drink. He padded down the dark hall, his mind a fog of sleep and bad dreams, when someone suddenly popped out of the thick shadows ahead. He felt a terrified yell well up as he tried to back away, but before he could even open his mouth, a hand seized his, pulled him into an alcove then kissed him hotly. He groaned softly, knowing that scent, those hands and those lips. Before he could stop himself, he felt the tension slip away from his body, hands resting lightly on Peter's chest.

"Peter?" he whispered softly as he was released, his friends features coming into focus as his night vision adjusted.

"Sorry, didn't want you screaming the place down, you know how cranky Egon can get." Peter whispered and Ray nodded shyly. That was when he spotted that he had his hands on his best friend and hastily tucked them close to his own body.

"Still...Couldn't you just put a hand over my mouth or something?" he squeaked in the silence that followed and Peter raised an eyebrow.

"Hm, sounds kinky." he joked and Ray glared at him, hoping his rapidly reddening face was hidden by the shadows around them.

Sadly, it was very visible to Peter, who was taking in every detail of Stantz's face in those few seconds. Peter sighed heavily, he wasn't any closer to detaching any of the feelings he was developing for Ray and his thoughts from earlier came back to haunt him now.

"Why do you have to be so cute, Raymond?" he murmured this so softly that Ray almost thought he'd mis-heard him.

"I'm not-" he squeaked and felt Peter tense subtly. Had he not realised that he'd spoken aloud? Ray cringed silently, shutting his eyes and wishing he wasn't so damn awkward. Then suddenly, the warmth of Venkman's body backed off and he felt a gentle hand tug his elbow.

"Off you scoot." Peter said, a faint wistfulness in his voice "I'll try not to scare the crap out of you, now go sleep or whatever it is you do at this hour of the morning."

Ray blinked, but took the opportunity and slipped off down to the kitchen, where he sat staring into space for a good 15 minutes, trying to work out what was going on. Had Peter been serious, **DID** he just see it as sex and not anything romantic?

—So he just wanted to see how I responded. Makes sense, it means he doesn't _LIKE_ me, not in that way.- he told himself he should be relieved, when in fact he was more confused then ever.

And now he had a headache to boot.

-He has a guy, Ray.- he repeated as he sat there –even if he says its not 'serious'-

He felt stirrings of regret. This was his fault, if he'd only had the strength to keep the facade going, instead of falling prey to a wistful desire and kissing Venkman. He longed to retreat to the blissful ignorance of his meditation, but knew Peter would see through it and scold him again-

—Why is he telling me off? It's none of his business!— he thought, but that idea soon fizzled away as he recalled Peter's apology. In his own bizarre way, Peter did worry about his friends it seemed, even if he never let it show.

Ray fell asleep sat at the kitchen counter, where he was discovered by Egon early the next morning, who took one look at him and promptly dumped a cup of cold water over his head.

"Gee, thanks Egon." Ray grumbled, staggering off to bed with a yawn. His back hurt and he was tired...

"You're welcome." Egon said as he left, missing the sarcasm entirely.

* * *

That night, Peter finally went back to the club, having been kept busy by both his job and the whole increasingly complicated situation with his co-worker.

No sooner had walked in then he was told Ivan had asked to see him upstairs should he drop by. Figuring he was skipping the preamble he shrugged and headed upstairs.

Doesn't it get lonely? - Ray's words echoed in his head and he hesitated on the steps, why was he letting this affect him NOW? He'd never entertained the idea of a constant commitment since he'd begun indulging these carnal desires and it'd never bothered him until now.

Ray was just….innocent. He had an enthusiastic, sweeter view of the world, one that stood out in stark contrast to Peters cynicism and flippancy.

When he knocked on the door, he heard the familiar voice of his- what were they, technically? FWB? Lovers? He shook his head and pushed the door open, stepping into a room who's bed and ceiling he'd come to be familiar with.

"Doctor!" Ivan smiled, getting up from his desk and slipping an arm around Venkman's waist as he drew close. His lips brushed Peter's and the Ghostbuster sighed languidly, the sensation still sent a thrill up his spine, but it felt sedate when he flashed back to-

"Are you alright, doctor?' Ivan asked, brushing a hand up Peter's back, the man seemed oddly distracted.

"What? Yes, long day." Peter dismissed the worries, reminding himself this was the way he'd always done things, as he'd told Ray. He flattened the thought deep down and kissed Ivan much more fiercely. "Whole load of annoying crap to deal with."

"Well, let's see what we can do to ease all that tension, shall we?" Ivan purred, nipping at Peter's lip then halting as Peter winced.

"What happened?" he asked now, seeing the rapidly healing cut.

"Nothing really, just got into a fight out in the alley, that's all." Peter said with a shrug, for truthfully he'd forgotten all about it.

Ivan tutted softly as he kissed that part of Peter's lip gently "you should take better care, dear doctor. Maybe I should do a thorough examination?"

Peter smiled, but Ivan couldn't help notice his responses seemed oddly delayed. Was something bothering the Ghostbuster, normally he would be halfway out of his clothes by now.

So he pressed closer to Venkman, determined the doctor should focus on HIM, not some trivial matter. He hooked his arms under Peter's thighs and scooped him up, meaning Peter had to brace his hands on Ivan's shoulders to avoid falling. He flushed as Ivan nuzzled at the spot where his shirt had ridden up now, exposing bare skin, then shivered in longing as the kisses moved down towards his waistband. Confident that he had Venkman's full attention once more, Ivan carried him to the bed.

The music pounded loudly up through the floor, masking the gasps and shouts of passion as they become intimate. It was just them, nothing else…

* * *

Eventually, the noise from below faded away as the club closed and yet Peter found himself staring into the darkness of the bedroom. He wondered what it would be like if he could share just one night with-

-No.- he told himself –Ray isn't part of this world. A guy like him deserves someone as purely innocent as he is, not…me.—

Ivan stirred as he heard Peter sigh and shift onto his side, rolling over to face him now and tracing his cheek in the darkness.

"Restless, dear doctor?" He asked.

"Mm-hmm." Peter answered, propping himself up on one elbow so as to kiss his partner in the moonlight that shone in through the skylight.

"Well," Ivan tangled his fingers in Peter's, guiding the doctor's hand downward and hearing Peter stifle an urgent groan as it came to rest between his legs "maybe you can help _ME_?"

As he'd expected, Peter could not resist the offer. He settled back and let his hands roam across Peter's body as he urged him on, bracing his body so each thrust hit that sweet spot-

He kissed Peter as they parted, pulling him into his arms as he pulled out.

* * *

Once Peter was fully asleep, Ivan glanced at the clock. All too soon the alarm would go off and Peter would leave his bed again, racing away into the chilly morning to make it to work. His eyes fell on the cut on his bed partners soft lips and he scowled at the thought of those that'd injured his doctor. If he even caught wind of anyone hurting Venkman again, he'd deal with them himself.

After all, Venkman was **HIS**. A smirk curved his lips as he closed his eyes, the good doctor certainly knew how to do the old horizontal tango, of all the guys he'd had in his bed, this one was special.

The information he'd found had been true, he'd even go so far as to say there was something almost 'supernatural' about the man...

* * *

Fate seemed determined to put them together, Ray mused nervously as he gripped Ecto-1's steering wheel, squinting through the rain. He and Peter had been sent off by themselves, while the other two attended to another spectral matter far closer to home.

Peter had been unusually quiet since coming back that morning, there was little of his usually quick wit. As he'd walked by the man, Ray had caught the scent of smoke and alcohol, realising Peter had clearly been to see "Ivan" again. He told himself he was happy that Peter seemed to have a long-running thing going with him, but the shameful secret of his own jealousy was getting harder and harder to ignore. He envied this mystery guy, deep down.

Ecto-1 chose that moment to let out what Peter described later as a "peculiar mechanical _**FART**_ ", and the car went dead. Ray was just able to steer her so she came to a halt beneath a colossal oak tree, but that was all he could do.

"Well, that's not good." Peter said in the silence and Ray shot him a "no, **REALLY**?" look. He got out of the car, hearing Peter doing the same. Venkman stood at the edge of the trees massive branches, watching the rain cascade down outside its leafy umbrella.

Ray ignored the rain and popped the hood on Ecto, delving into the engine block. There, that bit..he stood on his tiptoes, leaning even further over as he reached for the part in question.

Peter turned back around at that moment, a question about whether they should just call AAA dying on his lips as he took in the sight. With the way he was bent over the engine, the jumpsuit clung to Ray's very attractive rear-end and Peter stared, feeling his face turning red but he couldn't look away. Why didn't Stantz just stand up already?!

Ray finally set himself back on his feet, turning to look at Peter, and promptly frowned. Peter was looking rather studiously at the ground, if Ray didn't know better he'd think Peter was...embarrassed?

"Peter? What's the matter?" Ray shut the hood with a puzzled frown, wondering if the man was feeling OK?

"Don't ask." Peter coughed, actually turning red this time. He was well and truly busted and he knew it, even Ray wasn't so innocent that he wouldn't put two and two together and come up with…butts.

Ray set his hands on his hips, frowning at Venkman "You're being weird again Peter. Well like it or not, I'm going to get to the bottom of this-"

Peter went even redder and face-palmed with a low moan at that word, cutting Stantz off. Ray blinked at him silently, then eventually put this together with what he'd been doing while his back was to Peter-

-and promptly went beet red.

"Peter, w-were you-?" he squeaked breathlessly, feeling utterly out of his depth.

"Yes." Peter sighed theatrically "I was admiring your arse, Ray. You have a very nice one and I couldn't help ogle it."

Ray stared, then went even redder then ever before, closing his eyes and squeaking in despair. This was NOT helping in his efforts to distance his affections from his best friend. He'd never considered his sex appeal to any guy, let alone this one! He heard footsteps crunch across the dirt then and tensed for a scolding, but instead electricity sizzled along his nerves as Peter's hands gripped his thighs, just below his rear. He was lifted up and sat atop Ecto-1's hood, Peter's lips hungrily claiming his mere seconds later. He heard the soft sound of desire Venkman made and his head spun-

He fought against his baser instincts, those ones that said to let himself go and encourage things even further. As it was, it took everything he had to stop at merely pressing into the kiss and enjoying the thrill.

They parted a moment and Ray set his hands on Peter's shoulders as Venkman kissed him a second time, just barely fighting the temptation to slip a hand around Venkman's waist and close the gap between them, he kept reminding himself- Ivan. Yet he couldn't hold back from doing nothing to deter Venkman all the same. It just felt….right. His hands shook as they brushed over Peter's collar, making contact with his skin…

-Hypocrite...- he heard that stricter side of him whisper in his mind.

Peter released him then and they regarded one another in shared silence as the rain beat down relentlessly outside their shelter.

"What am I supposed to do with you, Ray? You don't know the effect you have, do you?" Peter whispered, studying Stantz' wide innocent eyes and the softness of his skin as he traced the man's cheek. He was so damn cute, Peter seen it increasingly strongly the more he got to know this long-hidden side of Ray, it was in every little gesture the man made..

The **POSSIBILITY** , that was what tempted him. The mere **IDEA** that this man who'd worked by his side for years could potentially be…his? He couldn't pin down what about Stantz was different to every other guy who'd flirted with him or tempted him to bed.

"Be honest." Ray whispered at last, making Peter blink. Ray drew back from him, although with the way Peter had deposited him atop Ecto-1's hood, his knees were still brushing Peter's hips.

"Do you like this 'Ivan' guy or not?" Ray asked. Peter realised then that Ray felt like he was a mere side-affair, an intruder and his honesty wouldn't let him accept Peter's advances even though he seemed to enjoy them.

"It's just sex, Ray. We're not dating or anything like that." he said softly, thinking back to his fantasy last night. Imagining Ivan was the man he stood before now, imagining how he'd feel…

Ray shook his head, soft brown eyes fixing on Peter. Pressed so teasingly close, he noticed several little details about Peter. From the way stray strands of hair brushed his forehead, the humid air making them curl softly, to the sweep of his shoulders and the smell of laundry soap on his clothing-

He shook his head, and continued "It can't be just sex, Peter! How can that not drive you crazy, doesn't it feel lonely? Or cold?"

Even as he asked, his heart was twisting in confusion, but Peter just sighed sadly and brushed his thumb over Ray's lower lip as he sought an answer that'd solve all his problems.

"I don't know," he said at last and Ray's heart resolved to distance itself there and then. He sighed, once again freeing himself from Peter's embrace even though it pained him to do so.

"Ray?" Peter asked as Ray slid down off Ecto's hood, head bowed as he did.

"I'm sorry, Peter." he whispered, trying to hide how his voice shook from his own disappointment.

He stood there for what felt like an eternity, knowing Peter was so close yet far away. Finally, he heard Venkman's footsteps crunching away across the damp leaves and he told himself it was for the best. But why was his vision misting over as he told himself he'd done the right thing? As he rummaged inside the storage compartments of Ecto-1, tears welled up and he quickly swiped them away. He couldn't come between two people, no matter how long he'd held a (well-hidden) torch for Peter.

He finally got the car started again and they drove home in silence, Ray feeling conflicted and Peter guilty. When he'd noticed the signs of upset on Ray's face, he tried to talk to him, but Ray had shaken his head, saying it was fine, really.

Ray didn't look away from the road and Peter thought he seemed a mere push away from breaking down.

How did Peter really feel about Ivan? He couldn't deny the sex got him off without fail, it was hot and heavy, rough and ready. And so far, that had been enough to satisfy his urges. No preamble, no dating, just brief foreplay and hot passionate sex. Did he want more? Did he want his partner to want him for more than his reputation or his body?

Speaking of that…

When Ivan praised him, it was always for his stamina or performance. He didn't bother with platitudes, save for complimenting how good Peter looked when he had him undressed and laid out before him.

Thinking back to the last night, when he'd been harried and pent-up, Peter seen a faint pattern emerging. Soon as his mind drifted away from sex or pleasure, Ivan would go all out to distract him from thinking.

Ray's question gnawed away at his mind that night. What **DID** he want?

* * *

The next day, Peter's world began to unravel just a little more as his past intruded into the present once more.

"Venkman! Phone for you!" Janine hollered and Peter sighed, trailing downstairs and taking the handset.

"Yeah?" he grumbled as Janine drifted away.

"Is this dr Peter Venkman?" a male voice said on the other end.

"No, its the POTUS. Who do you think?" Peter rolled his eyes, then blinked as he heard the other voice utter an amused chuckle.

"Well played, dr. All jokes aside, I'm contacting you in regards to the open case you posted regarding your mother."

Across the room, Janine seen all colour drain from Venkman's face and he looked about ready to collapse. He nodded, seemingly in shock as he hastily wrote down whatever the voice on the phone was telling him. Then he set the phone down and bolted over to his cupboard, pulling a jacket on over his uniform and running out the door.

"Don't wait up, I'm not coming in today!" he called back and slammed the door behind him just as Ray and Egon returned from the basement.

"What was all that racket?" Ray asked with a frown. Egon stared at Janine, noticing she seemed a bit stunned.

"Janine?" he asked.

"I dunno!" she griped, throwing her hands in the air in despair "dr Venkman gets a phone call and the next thing he's turning white as a sheet and running off, saying he wont be back today!"

"That's weird, even for Peter." Ray said at last. Egon picked up the notepad as they talked, seeing where Peter had torn the page away in a hurry. Beneath it, the blank page held impressions of his scribbly writing.

"From what I can read here, it mentions a 'detective'."

"What use would dr Venkman have for a detective?" Janine asked, but the other two could only shrug.

"I hope he's alright." Ray murmured.

"Eh, dr Venkman's like a cat, he lands on his feet. Also destroys the furniture." Janine snarked as she flopped back down in her chair. "If he starts bringing in dead mice, I'm outta here."

Egon was too busy preparing for his second date with Eugene to see Ray's preoccupied expression as he stood there.

* * *

He took the hire car out to Eugene's house, where the man was outside mowing the lawn. Egon couldn't help but notice how well-toned he was at a glance, the exertion sticking the shirt to his skin. He could feel his face heating up slightly and smacked himself on the forehead to make it stop. He got out of the car, waving a hand in Eugene's direction as he approached. Eugene removed his headphones and grinned as he shut off the mower.

"Hey!" he said happily "You're early, Eeg!"

"Am I?" Egon looked at his watch "Ah, this thing is too far ahead, my latest experiment must have had messed with its internal mechanisms."

"Eh, it happens. I just gotta finish up here and grab a shower, then we can go. You wanna come inside, have a drink? Dad's out getting groceries, even though I told him I could do it, he hates sitting around all day."

Egon nodded as he parsed all this information, perching on the steps leading up to the front door as Eugene turned the mower on again. He was finished pretty quickly, the lawn looking immaculate as he put the mower away and jogged up to where Egon sat.

Egon followed him inside and gratefully downed the glass of lemonade Eugene poured from the fridge.

"Pretty good, huh? Dad showed me how to make it!" Eugene said as he set his own glass down.

"It's delicious." Egon smiled "very sweet, which I must confess is a weakness of mine."

"Yet you're still skinny as a yard stick!" Eugene poked Egon's stomach "you must metabolise like a reactor, Eeg."

"Strange, that was Ray's theory also. Sadly, I have yet to provide an explanation for it."

Eugene grinned and Egon smiled, feeling relaxed in a different way to how indulging his scientific curiosity made him feel. Eugene took this opportunity to wrap his arms around Egon and kiss him softly. The scent of grass brushed Egon's nose, bringing with it the scent of flowers and clarity.

"You smell good." he stated matter of factly, blinking in surprise when this made Eugene blush and cough slightly awkwardly.

"Egon, I probably smell like sweat and motor oil. I had to fix the mower before using it."

"Hmm, is that so?" Egon closed his eyes, the smell reminded him of summers spent at his uncle's estate, studying all the plants and flowers in the greenhouse while the other kids played outside.

"Well," he said softly, unaware it was in a faintly wistful tone "it smells good to me."

He sensed those constant companions the stomach butterflies make an appearance as Eugene wrapped his arms around him even tighter, planting a kiss on his lips once more. Egon pressed against Eugene's broad, firm chest and returned the affection with equal enthusiasm as he felt Eugene's tongue brush against his lips.

Eugene groaned eagerly, unable to resist Egon as the doctor parted his lips and let him explore even further. He felt the Ghostbuster's slender fingers tangle themselves in his hair, pulling him close again, before they parted for air.

"Wow." Eugene grinned as he met Egon's eyes "really, _WOW_ , Eeg."

Egon flushed, but he couldn't deny that he enjoyed it.

"I can't go wherever we're going smelling like a mower engine and covered in grass." Eugene chuckled "as much as it pains me, I must postpone kissing you senseless for a while."

Egon nodded, stepping back as Eugene released him.

"Do you remember my old room?" Eugene asked, motioning towards the stairs "if I recall correctly, you had dinner here a couple of times. Dad was worried you weren't feeding yourself, you were so skinny."

Egon nodded, looking at the photos of Eugene, his mother and his father that lined the walls. His mother had passed away when Eugene was a teenager, but there were lots of memories of her here.

"Dad always says I look a lot like her." Eugene followed Egon's gaze and smiled fondly.

"You do." Egon said, looking back at him "but your eyes are very like your dad."

Eugene smiled contentedly, opening the door to his room.

"Dad kept it preserved for all the years I was gone, but now he's helping me bring it up to date."

Egon stepped in, observing the perfectly preserved posters from his friend's early years.

Eugene watched him drift over to the bookshelf, trailing a finger along the spines of well-loved novels. While Egon was suitably occupied, Eugene crossed over to his chest of drawers and pulled out a fresh shirt, setting it on top of the unit. He took his old shirt off, sniffed at it then wrinkled his nose. Beneath the earthy scent Egon seemed to love, he did unfortunately smell a bit sweaty.

"I'm gonna go duck into the shower, Eeg."

"You're going to _WHAT_ in the shower?" Egon snapped back to attention, mishearing 90% of the sentence as a consequence. He felt his face flush as Eugene burst into loud laughter, shaking his head at Spengler's unintentional wit.

"That was adorable, Eeg." Eugene walked over to where Egon was face-palming and swearing in some long-forgotten language. He tangled Egon's fingers in his and lowered them from his face. Egon seen his friend was now sans shirt and felt his face turn red. Not that he was objecting, Eugene certainly kept himself in shape…

"I wonder what'd happen if I dropped my pants-" Eugene pondered aloud, watching Egon's eyes widen even further, his glasses slipping down a millimetre.

"Relax Eeg, I'm not gonna flash you, promise." he winked, kissing Egon on the tip of his nose "make yourself comfortable. I'll be as quick as I can."

Egon nodded and Eugene kissed him once more, all the things he wished he could treat the mild-mannered doctor to running through his head, but he shooed them away for now and left to go take a shower.

* * *

Egon sat on the edge of the bed, hands resting neatly on his lap. He closed his eyes, slowing his breathing, his heart gradually began to calm and he soon felt back to normal. He'd never had feelings this strong before, his fingers itched to make notes and draw a chart to analyse it.

Eugene wandered in at that moment, shrugging the clean shirt on over a fresh pair of jeans. He observed Eeg sitting there, clearly meditating...or something. He crept over, kneeling down in front of him and gently cupping the doctor's face in his hands. Egon's eyes opened, his gaze slowly refocusing on Eugene.

"Hey, you," Eugene grinned, kneeling up to kiss Egon gently. Egon let his hands come to rest on his shoulders, feeling the warmth from the hot shower radiating through the shirt Eugene wore. Part of him pointed out that they needed to go soon to stay on schedule, but it was silenced by that burgeoning part of him that wanted contact.

Unexpectedly, he felt Eugene's hands slip under his shirt, tracing across his skin. The sensation felt like it set every nerve on fire, taking his breath away.

"Eeg, you alright?" Eugene parted his lips from Egon's, studying the flustered Ghostbuster. Egon was breathing a little rapidly, eyes bright.

"I'm fine, but we should get going soon, in case of traffic." Egon winced at how lame he sounded, but Eugene just grinned and kissed his forehead as he stood up. He didn't seem to notice Egon's nerves, the doctor realised.

He grabbed his jacket and they set off downstairs, just in time to run into Eugene's father as he returned home.

"Oh, you boys off out?"

"Yup, I'll see you later, pops."

"Goodbye, Mr Visitor!" Egon waved goodbye as as he and Eugene headed back to their car.

* * *

"Sooo...where exactly _ARE_ we going?" Eugene asked after about 10 minutes of driving. Egon smiled, merely shaking his head, it was a surprise!

"Not much further now." He promised, hoping he'd guessed right and that Eugene would like it.

Eugene was about to ask again a few minutes later, when he seen what they were coming up on. A massive sign proclaiming a big baseball match;

"Eeg, you didn't." he grinned, glancing at Egon, who didn't miss a beat and opened the glove box. Inside it were two tickets to the game and Eugene couldn't help grin ear to ear.

"Eeg, these are premium seats- how'd you get these?"

Egon smiled "according to my research, this vantage point is the best position to watch a game. So I went with the data I had."

Eugene wanted to kiss Egon so badly right then, as thanks for the amazing effort, but they were pulling into the parking space and the place was **CRAMMED**.

* * *

He followed Egon through the crowds towards the entrance, where they were shown up to, as Egon had deduced, perfect viewing seats.

Egon let his gaze roam over the massive crowds as people filed into their seats. This wasn't something he knew much about, aside from his recent research, but he could see how much it made Eugene happy as the game got started.

Every so often, Eugene would grab his arm, pointing to something that'd happened on the pitch and gradually Egon found himself getting into the logic of the game. His analytical mind studied the players and he murmured what he predicted the various players would likely achieve to his partner.

"Man, your brilliant Eeg!" Eugene nudged him and grinned.

Egon's eyes lit up when he seen the vendors bearing all manner of sweets and junk food. He flagged down almost all of them to acquire food for himself and Eugene.

"Whoa, thanks Eeg." His friend grinned, others around them stuffing themselves silly at the same time, the scent of food filling the air and mixing with the scent of cut grass and beer. Eugene's eyebrows rose up to his fringe as he observed Egon tucking into a pretzel.

-He really loves his junk food in general, doesn't he?- he thought as he took a big bite out of a hot dog. It was utter heaven and he soon made short work of it.

"Man, I'd forgotten how good a 'dog tastes at a ballgame." he polished off the last bite and licked his fingers clean.

"It does seem to affect the nostalgic part of the brain. Very enjoyable." Egon replied with a nod. Eugene let out a sizeable belch and the crowd around him laughed.

"Tradition. Belching contest at a ball game." He informed Egon, who simply rose an eyebrow silently.

Several more followed in the first ones wake and Egon rolled his eyes. It reminded him of Peter and Ray, they'd done that same activity one quiet evening, roughly drawing even until Winston had walked in and outdone them both with barely any effort. He chuckled at the similarities between Eugene and his friends, it was nice…

* * *

"That was seriously badass!" Eugene grinned, striding happily back towards the car with Egon keeping pace alongside, his head full of statistics and analysis, the babble of the crowd wrapping them in a blur of noise.

"Are you hungry?" he asked Eugene now, who paused to think about it.

"Actually, yeah. I swear junk food just dissolves at double speed, it never fills me up for long." he grinned sheepishly at his date as they got into the vehicle.

"I have the same thesis regarding cupcakes." Egon said lightly, smiling as he put the car in gear and they headed for the exit.

"I didn't know you knew about Baseball, Eeg." Eugene commented out of curiosity as they drove along crowded streets looking for somewhere to eat.

"Well, to be truthful, I didn't know anything until a few days ago. But I wanted this to be something important and I knew from memory that you liked that team, so it only seemed right."

Eugene flushed, Egon had studied baseball just to enjoy the game with HIM? He was so adorable in his earnestness. He let his fingers brush Egon's knee in lieu of a kiss and Egon smiled, cheeks pinning just noticeably.

They shared a leisurely lunch at a fancy restaurant that served what Egon described as 'the most delicious dessert.' Eugene had to force himself to concentrate on his food, otherwise he'd have just happily watched Egon tuck into desert, with such earnest delight no less…

* * *

The sun was setting as they drove back to Eugene's place. Again, Eugene treated Egon to several deep thank-you kisses as they parked at the bottom of the drive, one hand moving to rest atop Egon's knee. A shiver ran up Egon's back that near took his breath away and he focused on the warmth of Eugene's lips as he captured them with his own, even as it felt like his nerve endings were alight.

They finally parted, flushed and breathing heavily.

"You're so cute, Eeg." Eugene whispered "Can I see you again soon?"

"You're always welcome to come over for dinner," Egon said, remembering his conversation with Stantz "Ray said you'd be more than welcome and the others would no doubt like to get to know you properly. Caution, Peter has a mind like a sewer, so expect innuendos."

"Oh, I have a degree in that."Eugene teased "I'm sure I can manage."

Egon waited until he seen Eugene step inside his house, then he drove back to HQ.

* * *

While Egon and Eugene savoured their second date, Peter was avoiding..well...everybody.

He returned from his sudden trip with his head full of fresh unease and closely guarded hope. He kept replaying what the detective had told him, a bundle of notes stuffed into his pocket. Keeping out of everyones way, he went up into the attic that nestled below the flat roof of the firehouse. In his arms was a blanket and pillow. He'd found an old mattress up here and the thing seemed useable, so he laid one blanket down as a sheet, the other as cover, the pillow on top. He needed space, even his little office wasn't enough, he needed to be away from all of it.

"You're back late," Winston commented as Egon swanned in later.

"I had dinner at Eugene's house." Egon lied smoothly.

"How's things going with that guy? He settling back in yet?"

"Yes, he's pretty well caught up to current events. He mentioned that he enjoyed meeting everyone-"

"So bring him over!" Ray jogged in then, an armload of groceries in his grasp "it's been quiet today, so we may have a relaxed couple of days, if my predictions are right."

"Sounds like a plan." Winston leaned back in his chair, seeing Egon nod and actually SMILE.

Then the scientist was gone, humming softly.

"Did he…."

"Smile?" Ray blinked, Egon was normally very serious and didn't tend to display much emotion, mostly annoyance when he did.

"Huh, well I'll be." Winston shrugged.

"You'll be what, exactly?" Ray asked, scrunching his nose in confusion.

* * *

Ray thought Peter was still out, doing...whatever he was doing. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of him and assumed he was at Ivan's.

So when he heard noises from the attic that night, he went tense. He crawled out of bed, grabbing his proton pack and creeping towards the spot where the attic door was set into the ceiling.

He lowered the door silently, almost sliding on his stomach as he pulled himself up the stairs.

"That's cute, but what _ARE_ you doing?"

Ray opened his mouth to yell, but this time Peter really did just settle for clapping a hand over his mouth.

"Pefer?" Ray squeaked into the warm palm of his friend. Peter waited a moment before removing his hand and pulling Ray the rest of the way up the ladder. Shutting it after his friend, he took in the sight of Raymond clad in pyjamas and wearing a proton pack.

"What?" Ray objected on receiving that look "I thought it may be a ghost. I certainly didn't expect it to be _YOU_."

"Well, now you know, so go back to bed." Peter grumbled. Ray looked darn cute in those PJ's, dotted with little Stay-pufts.

"What's….why are you up here?" Ray asked hesitantly, seeing Peter wince and run a hand through his hair. He looked exhausted and Ray couldn't help worry about him.

"It's- I can't talk about it, Ray." he said falteringly "I just need space. Please, go back to bed, you don't need to worry."

Ray's determination wavered as Peter stroked a hand over his cheek, flushing as he felt the warmth of his skin. He nodded quietly, stilling the questions running around his head and silently returning down the ladder. He heard it click back into place behind him and he sighed softly.

He put his pack back where it belonged and crawled back into bed, but he found it hard to sleep…

* * *

Peter closed his eyes, feeling a prickling pain behind his eyes as he pushed away the one person who would've cared, but he wanted to spare Ray from getting involved with the mess his early years had been.

-Where did you go?- he thought wearily, dragging himself back to his notes.

* * *

Peter's tired eyes and the bags under them were obvious to his team-mates as they went about their work the next day, but they knew better than to ask him about it, he seemed on edge enough as it was. But they all wondered; was it related to this 'detective'?

To nobody's surprise, least of all Ray's, Peter asked that they drop him off close to the bar at day's end, opting to leave his proton pack in the car. He shrugged a jacket on over his uniform, buttoning it up to his neck and heading off without a backwards glance. He could practically FEEL the questions crowding around him in the car, knew his friends were getting suspicious.

"Something's really going on with him and I don't think its good." Winston said ominously as they drove away.

"Yeah." Ray agreed, trying to hide just how worried he actually was. Was Peter using this no strings attached sex to cope? Pleasure overriding pain?

* * *

Peter found himself hesitating a moment as he stood in front of the bar. Why had he come here? Last night, he'd been on the verge of telling Ray what was on his mind, but then he'd turned tail and told him to scram. At a base level, he felt that Ray deserved better.

He found himself moving on auto-pilot, pushing the door open and stepping into the atmosphere of freedom and carefree seduction. Yet it felt false, the immersion wafer-thin with the things he'd come to understand pressing heavily on it.

It didn't take long for Ivan to get wind that he was there and he invited Peter up to his room as he always did, no preamble or questions. Just a gaze that roamed up Peter's body as he walked in, lewd intent on his face. He walked over and pressed Peter back against the door, leaning himself against Peter and kissing him deeply.

"You seem down, dear doctor." Ivan mused, seeing how tired Peter looked as they parted, at long last.

"Yeah, I'm sick and tired." Peter muttered dully.

"Of what, doctor Venkman?" Ivan sat him down on the couch, before getting up to go to the bar. Grabbing two glasses, then selecting and pouring a shot of whiskey for them both, he turned and set one of them in Peter's hands. Peter stared at the drink, but he couldn't find a word to say, not about his mother anyway.

"Doctor?" Ivan seen how Peter just stared at the amber liquid in the glass. He took a sip of his own drink, sitting next to Peter and kissing him, giving him a taste of the expensive liquor that way.

"Are your co-workers pushing all the work onto you?" Ivan asked as he let him go and Peter gave a non-commital shrug and made a noise that was close to an agreement.

"They're the same as ever," he lied at last. Ivan nibbled on his neck and Peter groaned softly, but winced a second later as he felt Ivan's teeth bite sharply at his skin.

"Ah-!"

"My apologies, doctor. You smell so good, I wanted a little taste.."

The flattery made Peter's resolve waver a little, even as the newly-stirred part of his brain pointed out it was a little rough. He shoved the thoughts aside as Ivan continued kissing his throat up to the weak spot behind his ear, before returning to kiss him on the lips. Peter closed his eyes, imagining instead of the suave, smug bar owner that it was his gentle, innocent Raymond.

Guilt and pleasure warred as he realised the sense of arousal was much more potent when he imagined Stantz. Imagined slipping his uniform off, exploring his body..

He felt Ivan's fingers unzipping his jacket, pushing it down off his shoulders as the kissing got heavier and exposing the trademark Ghostbusters jumpsuit.

"Mmm, I've wanted to see you in that uniform for some time now. Or, should I say, get you OUT of it." Ivan murmured huskily as he nipped at Peter's lower lip, hearing him moan softly.

He traced a finger across the stitching spelling out Peter's surname, over the "no-ghost" logo on his sleeve, then tracing the zip seam all the way down to between his bed partner's legs. He swiftly pinned Peter on his back on the couch as the urge got him wanting, kissing the Ghostbuster as he unbuckled the uniforms utility belt and let it drop to the floor.

Soon the iconic uniform was discarded, along with the other layers of clothing beneath it. Peter uttered a starp moan, pushing up against Ivan's hands as they trailed down to his hips. Ivan dug his nails into Peter's soft, unmarred skin, wanting to leave his mark on his hips. He pressed his mouth against Venkman's, muffling the little gasp of pain the man made as he did.

-My doctor..- he thought as he began, delighting at how hot Peter's body was.

Peter bit back a muffled sound as Ivan's hands slid up his back and dug into his skin again, he seemed even more amorous then he usually was. Peter gripped his shoulders, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against Ivan's shoulder as the other thrust eagerly into him. He again allowed the memory of Ray's soft, warm skin to override the reality and by the time they finished, he knew what he needed to do.

"Mmm, very good, dear doctor." Ivan murmured, sitting Peter up as he pulled out. Peter reached for the glass of whiskey, knocking it back with a believable grin.

"Even better." he said silkily and Ivan smirked, kissing his lips and revelling in the taste of the booze on his lovers lips.

* * *

When they retired to bed late that night, after more drinks and Ivan groping Peter's gorgeous ass at every opportunity, he hoped Venkman would be up for another round. But even though he made the idea sound as tempting as possible, Venkman didn't respond as he'd expected, simply saying he just wanted to rest beside him. When Peter closed his eyes, resting against his Partner's side, Ivan allowed a brief scowl to darken his features. He wasn't accustomed to being turned down, but he supposed he should forgive Venkman this time…

He did look so handsome after all, one arm resting on Ivan's chest. He let his gaze wander down the man's neck, smirking as he seen the imprint he'd left on Peter's throat. Not just that, those hips too would bear his mark, come morning time.

* * *

He got up early, getting himself dressed while Peter slept. Just as he was putting on his shoes, Peter stirred and opened his eyes, yawning softly.

"Morning, you." Ivan said, leaning in to kiss him.

"Hmm? You're leaving?" Peter asked sleepily, this was new. Normally Ivan would wake him by kiss or by touch, reminding Peter he had a job to attend to, they both did.

"Afraid so, gorgeous." Ivan winked "got a call while you slept, uncle wants me at head office asap. Gotta keep the old man happy."

He kissed Peter once more "you can stay as long as you like, there'll be someone downstairs to close up when you leave, they'll stay out of the way unless you want something. Perks of owning the place, I get my own staff. Hopefully this trip will not keep me away from you for longer than a day, dear doctor."

Peter watched him leave without even a backwards glance. He sat up, telling himself nothing was off-key, he was just letting his mind run away with him. The blankets slid down as he moved, he caught sight of marks on his hip and cautiously nudged the blanket further. There, imprints of Ivan's fingers stood out starkly against his pale skin. An uneasy shiver went down Peter's spine, but he didn't know why. It wasn't as if their sex hadn't been heavy all those other times, but these marks, coupled with Ivan biting his neck, something just needled him about it. He got up, wrapping the blankets around him and heading for the bathroom.

His head was buzzing and the world had a funny sheen to it. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror as he shut the door behind him and seen the livid mark on his neck. Brushing his fingers over it, his unease grew and he winced softly. Not only that, but they were on his back too.

He took a quick shower, mind still in a fog as he wrapped a towel around himself and drifted back into the main bedroom. He stooped to pick up his uniform, recalling Ivan running his fingers over the name tag with an almost feral fascination. He traced it now with his thumb and a single thought hit him like a proton blast.

Not once had Ivan ever called him "Peter." It was always "doctor", or "Venkman."

Peter sat down with a bump on the couch, his uniform held in his hands. This was all Ivan seen, wasn't it? Just a celebrity he could nail for the honour of boasting about it. His stomach roiled suddenly and he bolted from the couch into the bathroom, where he was violently sick.

-Don't think the whiskey helped...- he thought hazily, uttering a snort of laughter. The cold of the bathroom tiles seeped into his skin through the thin towel, even as his body felt like it was on fire.

Once he'd stopped retching and coughing, he cleaned himself up and staggered back into the bedroom. He got dressed, feeling like his skin itched all the while. But yet...what if he was just imagining things?

He shook his head, no, he knew what he needed to do now.

First; take some time away from this place and its owner.

Next; come clean with Ray. It was clear now what attracted him to his fellow Ghostbuster; Stantz CARED about him, worried about him. He recalled every gentle expression of concern on Ray's face as he'd tended to the cut lip.

* * *

He escaped the bar as silently as he could. Outside, he slumped against the wall, his head spinning. Then he began walking home, somehow making it back to HQ without falling on his face.

Eugene was there when he walked into the kitchen, Peter guessed Egon had brought him round. He looked up as he seen Venkman walk in, but the cheery greeting died on his lips when he seen how pale Venkman was.

"Not being funny, but you don't look so good."

"Then I look like I feel." Peter said wearily, slumping against the counter, his head buzzing again. He vaguely fancied he should have a glass of water, but he didn't want to move just yet.

Egon walked in a minute later, seen Peter's condition and immediately frowned.

"Peter-?" he began, but Peter's stomach was objecting again and he shook his head at his co-worker.

"Whatever it is, Egon, I don't want hear it. Now, if you don't mind, I have a 100m lavatory dash to compete in!"

With that said, he charged past them and out the door.

"Well, that happened." Eugene said in the silence that followed, as Egon frowned.

"While I do suspect alcohol has a great deal to do with his condition, something else is at work here. But for now it's probably best to give him some space until we know what we're dealing with."

* * *

After throwing up what little remained in his stomach, Peter crawled into his bed in the main room, passing out straight away. That was where Ray found him, his concerns instantly raised as he took note of Peter's weakened state. A hand pressed against the man's forehead revealed a mild temperature, he'd need plenty of rest. Ray snuck downstairs, informing Janine not to set the klaxon off, Peter was ill. She rolled her eyes, but nodded.

So Peter slept on, unaware of the others coming and going, and he didn't stir until mid-afternoon. He was feeling mostly better, his head no longer pounded at least. Rolling out of bed, he took a shower and went through nearly half a bottle of mouthwash before he felt almost back to normal. When he sat back on his bed, dressed and hair dry, he seen a note had been left and next to it was a bottle of aspirin and a thermos.

"Take these and have some of the special coffee you liked. - Ray."

Peter smiled shakily, feeling a surge of affection for how kind Ray had always been to him.

"Doctor Venkman? You up?"

He looked over his shoulder, seeing Janine peering round the doorway.

"Yeah…I-I'm fine. What's up?"

Janine squinted at him, thinking he looked more or less back to normal and carried on "well, seeing as you're looking better, shall I tell our visitor that you'll be right down?"

"Visitor?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, says he has some paperwork for you, something to do with 'Minerva'. Whatever that is..."

Peter felt a jolt run through him and he staggered to his feet, cursing as the room blurred briefly and stars spangled across his vision.

"You _SURE_ you're OK?" Janine asked dubiously. "You're not gonna barf, are you dr?"

"I'm fine, really." Peter took a deep breath and strode past her, running a hand through his still-damp hair.

* * *

The guy in reception was the same guy Peter had met before. He spoke with Peter for a few minutes before handing him a folder. Janine watched covertly as Peter fetched a chequebook, but it wasn't the business one. He wrote something out and handed it to the guy, who thanked him and tipped his hat before leaving. Peter leaned back against the desk, looking at the folder as if it held the meaning of life. She didn't think she'd ever seen him like this…serious was NOT a side of dr Venkman that seen much use.

She went upstairs, switching on the coffee pot and stifling a yawn.

Peter was still staring at the name written on the envelope,'Minerva', when the doors opened and Ecto-1 roared in. Peter quickly shoved the envelope behind his back and forced a smile as his friends plus Eugene emerged from the car.

"Hey Pete," Winston nodded to him as he and the others approached "How was the vomit olympics?"

"Very funny." Peter grumbled dourly.

"I got a gold in that back in college. Frat parties, man." Eugene shook his head and Peter chuckled faintly.

"What's that behind your back?" Winston asked, seeing how Peter had his hands tucked behind his back still.

"Uhh...nothing. Absolutely nothing-"

Peter began to back away, still talking.

"Junk mail, that's it!"

"Peter, look out-!" Ray yelped, but too late, as Peter's foot snagged on Janine's bag and he was sent floor-wards with a thud, the envelope drifting into a corner as he picked himself up.

"Classy." he groaned "Geez, what does Janine keep in this thing?!"

"Best not to ask." Ray said kindly, helping him up then going to retrieve the envelope. He seen the name on the front but didn't ask, just flipped it as he stood so the name face downwards and handed it back to Peter. The man flashed him a brief, grateful smile.

"Bowling ball?" Eugene guessed, making the others chuckle.

"Ha ha, you guys." Janine said as she came back downstairs "it's a book, the newest hardback."

* * *

Peter slipped back upstairs as the others talked, tucking the envelope into his hidden cache in the attic. It'd have to wait until that night, so for now he pushed it aside and went looking for Ray. He could hear Eugene, Egon and Winston in the kitchen, so he wandered past the door and on to the bedroom. He heard the shower running as he walked in and felt his face flush. He hesitated in the doorway, hand on the door-handle and poised to turn back, maybe he should try later-?

"Hmm hmm hm- _GAH_!" Ray's humming trailed off as he wandered out of the shower, wearing just a towel around his waist and using another to dry his hair. He stared at Peter, who was looking everywhere BUT at him.

"Peter?" he asked "you alright?"

"F-fine. Absolutely fine, thats the hot, steamy- ahem _HONEST_ , simple truth."

Ray giggled softly, there was something endearing about seeing Peter Venkman get all flustered. He longed to walk over there and- he shook his head faintly, sitting on his bed and studying Peter as he shut the door behind him and leaned back against it. He still looked a little tired..

"Feeling better? I mean, seriously-?" Ray asked, making Peter lift his head to look at him.

"Yeah, it was- I can only think it was something I drank last night. Probably that fancy whiskey, I don't know why I drank it- I barely like the stuff!"

"Yeah, it can be pretty nasty. Not a fan myself..." Ray tilted his head now, seeing Peter rubbing at his neck. His curiosity became too strong and he got up, the towel secure around his waist as he walked up to Peter, snagging his hand and moving away from his neck. Beneath it was a patch of skin that looked irritated and inflamed.

"You dating a vampire, Peter?!" he said on impulse, honestly more than a little surprised. He wasn't an idiot, he knew what a hickey was- but THIS? He was starting to wonder if 'Ivan' wasn't short for "Ivan ta eat ya".

Peter pulled away from him, but seemingly forgot he was leaning against a door and banged the back of his head off it at speed.

"Ow!" he yelped "I already told you, it's just-"

"Yeah yeah, I know. Just sex." Ray said with a resigned sigh "even so..."

Peter blinked fuzzily at him, the only thing that popped into his head being; -thank goodness he can't see the ones on my hips and back.-

"It's nothing." he said weakly, but Ray seen the way he avoided eye contact. He was no psychologist like Peter, but he knew when he was being lied to and Peter seemed oddly weighted down by whatever troubled him. He got the impression it **WASN'T** just a hangover headache.

"Peter-?"

"Please Ray, just leave it." Peter tried to walk past him, but Ray grabbed his wrist and Peter stopped, looking back at the barely-clothed Ghostbuster. Ray's expression was firm but kind and Peter's weakened defences crumbled a little more. Ray represented warmth and comfort in that second, but he was afraid he'd demand too much of the man.

"You know I can't do that, Peter. I'm worried about you."

"Ray.." Peter sighed, there was so much he wished he could offload, but thinking over the last week or so, he knew he'd already burdened Ray enough. So he smiled now and pulled Stantz towards him, brushing a kiss over his forehead. Ray squeaked, blushing faintly at how sweet the gesture was.

"Thank you, Raymond. But I'm alright." the lie twisted him inside, but Ray shouldn't have to worry.

"Peter?" Ray asked, seeing the serious look on Peter's expression as he let go and walked over to his bedside locker. He retrieved something from it, a thermos that Ray recognised. Peter held it tightly for a moment, as if it was all that was anchoring him to the present.

"Thanks for the coffee, Ray. It really helped." he pressed the thermos into his friend's hands as he walked past Ray "if it's any consolation, I finally made up my mind about what I want."

Ray blinked, wondering what that meant? But by the time he formulated the question, Peter was gone.


	5. Love Me Like You Do

Ray didn't see Peter for the rest of that day, he remained secluded until it came time for dinner. With their extra guest in attendance, Egon ordered take-out and they all stuffed their faces. Peter even managed to fit in a subtle dirty joke or three that nearly made Eugene choke on his drink. He was laughing fit to bust by the end of the meal and Peter decided he definitely liked this guy. He'd been in a fraternity himself back in college, and he and Eugene tried to out-do one another with stories of drunken escapades. Winston looked from one to the other and after a moments silence, promptly declared "Both of you are crazy, man."

Egon smiled softly, and Venkman noticed a subtle sense of contentment that seemed to radiate from the normally stoic doctor. Something had changed in him since he'd gotten together with Eugene. In addition, Peter seen subtle tell-tale clues in Eugene's body language, swift little glances at Egon that showed how much he cared about him.

-Heh, can't believe I'm jealous of Egon.- he thought as he finished off the remaining slice of pizza on his plate. Good old junk food, always fun…

* * *

Janine left after dinner, telling them jokingly not to trash the place and she'd see them in the morning.

Winston offered to give her a lift, he was driving to his girlfriend's place and Janine's apartment was on the way. Grateful to be out of the chilly night air, Janine gladly accepted, saying goodnight to the others as she left.

"Is he _EVER_ gonna bring this "girlfriend" of his to meet us?" Peter asked laconically as they heard Winston's car drive away, and Egon rolled his eyes at the psychologist.

"Not unless he wants to traumatise her, Peter. Your mind alone should have a biohazard warning."

"Har har." Venkman glowered at him, but when he heard Ray chuckle, he barely suppressed a snort of laughter himself as a consequence. Glancing at Ray he seen the lively amusement he liked about him, but it stuttered and faded slightly as Ray glanced back down at his plate. Peter felt his heart ache, he hated to see Ray this way. It was his fault…

He left the table early as his guilt smothered his appetite, feeling the exhaustion of the day catching up to him. He made his way to the attic, where he let himself get lost in the stats of paperwork he'd been storing there.

* * *

Ray, Egon and Eugene stayed downstairs to watch a movie, doing their best impressions of couch potatoes as they digested dinner.

Eugene caught Egon's eye and smiled, earning a cute little smile in return form Spengler. Eugene open this mouth, then shut it, he'd been about to say something flirty only to recall doctor Stantz was sitting with them and he didn't want to make him OR Eeg feel awkward.

Watching them out of the corner of his eye, Ray yawned and said he was heading to bed as an excuse to give them some space. It was good to see Egon was relaxing more as of late, he thought idly as he ambled upstairs, Eugene seemed to be a good influence on him.

* * *

He walked into the communal bedroom, but there was no sign of Peter. He sat on his bed with a soft sigh, telling himself to give the guy some privacy, but the look on Peters face haunted him and finally he couldn't sit still any longer…

He'd always seen Peter as one of the strongest people he knew, for so little seemed to bother him. Thus, to siee him so exhausted and listless was bad.

* * *

Downstairs, Egon and Eugene were parting from a passionate kiss. Egon turned his head from watching Ray vanish out of sight, to swiftly find himself snared in Eugene's arms, his lips pressed against Egon's. The Ghostbuster groaned eagerly, feeling that same wonderful spike of adrenaline flood his bloodstream as Eugene drew him as close as he could. His hands stroked Eugene's hair away from his face as they parted, both flushed and breathing fast. Egon looked so damn cute, there was a gleam in his eyes that set Eugene's heart to rapid-fire. The doctor shifted how he sat and Eugene's eyes were drawn to the mere way he MOVED, eyes tracing the slender curve of his body.

Egon seen the way Eugene's gaze followed him and his heart jolted. Was it drawing close to THAT time already? He briefly felt a sense of panic, recalling the tests he'd run back in college. He should just be honest, tell Eugene- but he wasn't ready to reveal the truth yet-!

"Eeg, you OK?" Eugene seen him look nervous for a second, and coupled this with the way his hands had settled at Spengler's waist.

"Sorry, I- I don't wanna rush you, Eeg."

"NO! I mean." Egon bit his lip "the thought has occupied my mind since our last time together."

He felt his face heating up, it was a strange task indeed, to vocalise such intimate wishes.

Eugene blushed, nuzzling Egon's cheek and murmuring "me too." He heard Egon's breath catch in his throat and the doctor uttered a sigh of longing.

"Eeg?"

"I suggest we adjourn to my office." Egon said softly at last, voice shaking just a fraction. He didn't want Eugene to think him a 'freak', even if the truth would come out sooner or later. He bit back a yelp as Eugene scooped him up in his arms and strode calmly up the stairs.

* * *

Egon nuzzled into Eugene's hair, the scent of his friend only serving to stir his physical longing.

Eugene got the impression his dear introverted Eeg was more than a little innocent and found himself adoring him all the more for it. He nudged the door to Egon's office open and made sure it was shut behind him before carrying Egon over to the bed. He laid him down with the utmost gentleness, pausing only to switch the lamp on. When he turned his attentions back to Egon, he was pulled into a deep kiss by the adorable doctor that made him moan softly.

Egon, feeling slightly dizzy from the sensory overload, happily gave in and let Eugene kiss him as he lay on the bed. Each kiss sent shivers up his spine and he almost hungrily urged his partner on.

"Eeg.." Eugene whispered huskily as he released Egon's lips in favour of nuzzling his neck, and while he may not have had any alcohol that night, he was certain that he was getting drunk off of simply kissing Spengler. The man was so addictive; his scent, his kiss, his body…

Egon bit back a gasp as he felt Eugene's hands slip under his shirt, tracing gentle patterns over his sides, then slipping under his back as Eugene knelt over him…

"Eeg." He murmured this nickname over and over while he caressed Egon's lower back, relishing in the feel of his hot, bare skin.

For Egon, it was like being teased with small electric shocks, albeit ones that caused more erotic then painful sensations. When Eugene nibbled on his collarbone, a nervous moan escaped him and he again flashed back to the secret he'd discovered about himself back in college.

Eugene heard Egon moan anxiously and drew back, asking was he alright? Egon was flushed, strands of hair loose and sticking to his forehead. The genius nodded, but there was a brief flash of something behind his eyes- there and gone. He kissed Eugene gently, distracting him in that effortless way of his.

-Keep calm, you can maintain control. Just focus.- Egon lectured himself as he indulged in a deep, exploring kiss with Eugene, relishing in the warmth of his lips. -This is- it's too good, I wont let this ruin it.-

He somehow managed to keep himself from fidgeting as Eugene slowly unbuttoned his shirt. He let the fabric fall to the sides, brushing a hand across Egon's chest and feeling how rapidly it rose and fell beneath his hands. As he'd glimpsed that awkward first day, Egon had a well defined figure, slim but toned. He brushed his lips against Egon's stomach, hearing him stifle a moan as he kissed even further down. He rubbed a thumb up and along the curve of Egon's hipbone where his trousers had shifted down just enough to reveal it.

Egon bit the inside of his cheek, his pulse was fast and heavy as it pounded a crescendo in his ears. It was difficult to keep control, but he HAD to. If Eugene realised the strange 'defect' about Egon, he would likely not desire him so strongly…

His composure finally broke when he Eugene's hands strayed to his belt, the tantalising sensations ramping up as they got far closer then ever before. Egon closed his eyes, feeling the surge of need and pleasure grow strong enough to encroach upon arousal-

—Focus, Egon!— he ordered himself, hearing himself groan needfully as Eugene undid his trousers and kissed just above where his underwear rested-

Oh sweet sanity, it was good- too good- he could feel the heat building down there..

"I-I can't-!" Egon blurted, panic and embarrassment warring together and resulting in him losing his balance as he tried to sit up and backpedal, thus he promptly fell off the bed as Eugene hurriedly backed up.

"Eeg?!' Eugene sounded concerned as Egon hurriedly picked himself up off the floor, standing with his back to his partner. He reached for his friend, but Egon flinched away as his hands brushed his shoulder-blades, body tense.

"Eeg, if you're not comfortable its OK-" Eugene tried to reassure him, but Egon shook his head.

"It's not that-!" Egon blurted in a panic, was he doomed to humiliate himself?

He bit his lip, telling himself to keep control, even as it slipped from his grasp. Humiliation burned through his veins and he again recalled what Eugene's old frat buddies had called him; "frigid" and "freak".

"I'm sorry I lied to you. Please, just understand- I did everything I could to stop the process."

"What process?" Eugene was becoming more then a little confused. It'd startled him when Egon suddenly pushed him away, he'd seemed so hopeful when they'd been proposing the idea downstairs on the couch. No, something else was at play here…

Flashing back to when he'd touched Egon during the kisses at his house, then in the car after their dates, Egon HAD seemed very fidgety.

"Eeg, tell me what the matter is." he said softly as Egon stood with his back to him, arms wrapped around his middle. With his shirt off, Eugene couldn't help but see the way Egon's muscles tensed and shifted beneath his pale, flawless skin.

"It isn't that I do not want to- but..." Egon shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "I have a condition known loosely as hypersensitivity. I didn't realise the extent to which it ran until my early years in university, when I endeavoured to run some tests to determine if I was simply uninterested in women or more likely, asexual.

I had hoped my findings were skewed, but eventually I had to accept the reality. Once past a certain point of stimulation, my nerves cannot handle strong sensations of pleasure and I…I hit climax very easily. Even if I could approach someone in a romantic scenario, I doubted I would live up to their needs in the bedroom. So I made the conscious decision to shut myself off from such things and soon became absorbed in my studies. I had thought after all these years, that it may have abated. But I was wrong. Yet, in my foolishness, I thought I could simply ignore it-"

He removed his gasses, rubbing the heel of his palm against his eyes, head aching faintly.

"What do you mean, 'tests'?" Eugene asked.

Egon felt a surge of mixed feelings, shame and scientific curiosity, mostly. He blinked away the fog of unexpected sadness and started telling the tale;

"Well, it started back in university"

He flashed back to that period of time, it'd been awhile.

* * *

 _ **The room was immaculate, books stacked neatly on every available surface. A book bag sat by the door, clothing neatly hung over the back of a chair.**_

 _ **All was in perfect order, save for the young man sat atop the bed. His once neatly ironed slacks were puddled around his ankles along with his underwear and a tube of lubricant lay discarded to his left. He was sat against the headboard, one hand scrunching the covers beneath him, the other lay between his long, slender legs. His eyes were closed, breathing rapid as he worked...**_

 _ **His heavy breathing finally stilled as his actions achieved their finish and he uttered a quiet sigh.**_

 _ **"Test number 4, sub test 5, average time still within the same perimeter." he croaked in the silence.**_

 _ **He lifted his hand, staring dully at the strands of fluid splashed across his fingers, as they gleamed in the light. He sighed heavily, nothing he tried resulted in anything but the same results. He hastily redressed and washed his hands, sitting back at his desk where a notebook filled with research and test results stared back at him. With a heavy heart he picked up the pen and wrote the latest data. He flicked back through the pages, seeng the undeniable truth in his own handwriting.**_

 _ **"Results are undeniable. In comparative studies by American science journals, I am a failure." he pinched the bridge of his nose, thoughts swirling manically around his head. He slammed the book shut and pushed away from his desk, pacing back and forth across the spotlessly clean room as he spoke aloud.**_

 ** _"My questions regarding my lack of desire for female companionship have at least been answered, but this new information will limit any interactions with others like myself. Therefore, I see no value in continuing."_**

 ** _He picked up the book from his desk, a worn thing filled with the research and results he'd accumulated. He reached into his desk and withdrew a lighter. Opening the window, he let the flames consume the notebook, the ashes disappearing into the night sky._**

 _ **"Such things will only impede my studies, I'm aborting the experiment." he said softly to the empty room.**_

 _ **"What good will such things do for my career, anyway?"**_

* * *

"And that's the truth. I doubt I can give you what you want, Eugene. I know should have mentioned this before, but in my fallacy, I thought I could overcome it. You see, my tests all lacked one vital final component….a partner. With sincerity, I hoped might come a change." he set his glasses back on his face, bracing himself for Eugene's reaction, however bad it might be.

Eugene made a faint sort of squeaking noise in the seconds that followed and Egon turned to stare in disbelief, somewhat confused at that reaction. Wasn't Eugene alarmed, disappointed, confused? How about vaguely angry that Egon had hidden the truth from him? What kind of a reaction was 'squeak'?!

Eugene was sat on the bed with one leg crossed over the other, his face beet red. He was biting his lip, eyebrows about ready to vanish under his fringe they were raised so high. That had been quite a detailed recollection.

"Eugene?" Egon felt his face flush with embarrassment and mild frustration. The first person he'd ever had such strong feelings for and he wasn't taking him seriously! Eugene cleared his throat as Egon glared at him, he could see how flushed Egon was, from a mix of anger and embarrassment. So he cleared his throat now;

"Gonna be honest here , Eeg. That sounded hot as fuhhh….wow." Eugene said.

"It was…hot?" Egon was a little confused, why was Eugene so enamoured with a simple flashback? Some of the anger faded from him, leaving only confusion in its wake.

"Yes, very hot. Aren't you curious as to why I'm not standing up?" Eugene coughed, it really was a very tantalising mental picture that Egon's blunt and to-the-point tale had summoned.

Egon stared at him for several long seconds, then realisation sunk in and he blushed even deeper, taking a step back as he felt momentarily light-headed.

"B-but!" he stammered, was Eugene saying that **STORY** had gotten him aroused? His heart pounded from a mix of hope and panic. "Didn't you hear what I said? I studied clinical information on how long an average male lasts in sex and-ack!"

Eugene got up from the bed as Eeg babbled, striding over to the man and scooping him up in his arms so that Egon was looking down at him, fingers tangling in his T-shirt. One arm was braced around Egon's firm posterior, the other resting between his shoulder blades as he balanced him.

"You are _FAR_ from average, Eeg. Let me be blunt; I want to _PLOUGH_ you, so much, right now."

Egon blushed, awkwardly aware that his partly unzipped trousers had slipped down a little more as Eugene had picked him up. But the way Eugene was looking at him, Egon fast realised that the desire in his friend's voice was very real. His trepidation began to ebb, seeing that look in Eugene's kind, gentle eyes.

"Let me study you, Eeg." Eugene whispered as he seen Egon's nervousness wane a little, hoping the adorable genius would agree "no matter what the findings, I'll still want you. Will you trust me?"

As he spoke, he dipped his head to nuzzle Egon's underwear, feeling the heat of Egon's body through the fabric. "You're all I've wanted, all these years, Eeg."

Egon put this together with Eugenes revelation that he'd been preparing to disclose his feelings for him the night he disappeared, together with the dates they'd shared.

Egon could only nod, surprised by just how calm Eugene was, despite being told that the passionately lengthy sex he may have been expecting was likely impossible.

But he didn't lift a finger to deter the other man as Eugene carried him back to the bed, laying him down just like before, and kissing him gently.

"Now, you just lie back and let me work." Eugene said seductively as he parted from the kiss. Egon nodded and closed his eyes, feeling the cool of the pristine bedsheet against his back as Eugene unzipped his trousers all the way, slipping them and Egon's underwear down off his hips, sliding the articles teasingly over his knees, then letting the articles of clothing fall to the floor.

The cool air in the bedroom brushed over Egon's skin and he looked at his partner, seeing the lustful look in Eugene's eyes as he took in the view. Nobody had ever looked at HIM this way before, he'd always kept away from any attention he didn't think suited his career, resulting in many an awkward interview where news reporters enthusiasm soon faded the longer he ignored their flirtatious smiles, short skirts and euphemisms.

One had even said, rather cattily, as she'd left: "you'd come across a lot better if you actually SMILED, doctor Spengler."

He tangled his fingers in Eugene's hair and pulled him in for a kiss as these reflections faded from his mind. He let his hands drift down Eugene's body, assisting him in undoing his jeans- enjoying a pulse of excitement as his fingers grazed Eugene's hips, none of his studies had factored in a partner's affections.

"Mmm, Eeg. You are simply outstanding." Eugene whispered as he nibbled on Egon's lower lip, then kissed him again. They parted to take a breath and Eugene stroked Egon's hair back from his face, it'd come loose from its usually perfect coif and locks of it now brushed against Egon's forehead.

"I-I don't have enough data to correlate that-" Egon stammered, unused to such adoring praise, but Eugene just beamed.

"Well, we can gather plenty, Eeg. All you have to do is ask and I'll give you whatever you require."

He traced Egon's sides, realising he was missing one vital component. Egon must've read his expression, as he nuzzled Eugene's ear, whispering "middle drawer."

Eugene moved one hand over to the bedside cabinet, finding a tube of lubricant there.

"Mmm, how recent were your last tests, Eeg?" he teased, kissing Egon as his eyes flicked to the clearly already-open tube.

"A-after our f-first date." Egon said, this rare display of nerves making it hard to speak coherently "I foresaw that we- I- perhaps, it was presumptive of me-"

He was cut off by Eugene kissing him with such fierceness that it took his breath away. His friends tongue brushed against his lips and he eagerly gave in, letting the kiss become deeper and hotter.

"I'll say it again, you are so damn _HOT_." Eugene whispered as he sat back, opened the tube, dispensing the slippery liquid onto his fingers and slipping his hand between Egon's legs.

"Ready?" he murmured and when Egon nodded, he began. He couldn't refrain from letting a short, staccato gasp escape him as he felt this first intrusion, instinct prompting him to squirm adorably as he adjusted.

Eugene let his other hand come to rest atop one of Egon's knees, gently caressing his skin as he let Egon acclimatise.

"Comfy?" Eugene whispered after a moments wait.

"Mm-hmm." Egon nodded, excitement mixing with nerves, it was unprecedented, this sensation. Certainly his own actions had never made him feel this good-

Egon uttered a fast, urgent moan as he felt those warm, gentle fingers begin to explore inside him in earnest now. He gripped the sheets beneath him, scrunching the fabric in sweaty hands. Jolts of pleasure ran down his spine, gathering between his legs the more Eugene teased and prepared him.

-WOW.- Was all Eugene could think as he worked his best friend's body. The scent of him, the FEEL of him, he was amazing. Egon looked gorgeous, for Eugene hadn't been lying when he'd said he was the one he'd been after his whole life. Nobody had ever inspired such strong feelings as this reclusive, distant young man. Because even though Egon had gone to great lengths never to give anything away, Eugene had still seen little glimpses of emotion going on behind Egon's eyes the more they'd hung out.

He loved the little sounds of pleasure Egon made the more Eugene teased and prepared him. He could feel how much Eeg's body was trembling, his sweet little genius was oh so very close-

Eugene made one final move and heard Egon cry out as his first climax hit. The sheets clung to Spengler's back as he arched it, fingernails almost tearing the sheets, so strong was his grip in the throes of his first hit-

Egon felt his face burn hot as he came down from the orgasm, shutting his eyes and angling his head so the pillow brushed against his cheek. Even with Eugene's obvious curiosity about his condition, he couldn't help but feel he'd fallen short-

Then Eugene's fingers caressed him, resetting the pulse of lightning along his nerves and he lifted his body, propping himself up on one elbow. Eugene's flirtatious grin met his eyes and he once again brushed his finger along that most intimate of places.

"You're still raring to go, cutie." he explained, positioning himself above Egon and kissing him gently "ready for the next test?"

Egon nodded, feeling the first stirrings of hope, amongst other things.

Eugene kissed his forehead gently as he repositioned himself. "This might hurt a little, Eeg. Just hold tight and breathe deep…"

Egon nodded and draped his arms around Eugene's shoulders, concentrating on the heat and warmth of him as his friend thrust into him-

He uttered a loud moan, gasping Eugene's name as he felt the sizeable hot mass push into him. Eugene's voice whispered in his ear, the gentle reassurances like music to his ears. The initial friction soon faded to pleasure as Eugene gently withdrew then pushed back in again, slow and steady at first. Egon quickly found himself focusing on the rhythm of their pace rather then how afire his nerves were.

Even as the climax began to build, he didn't feel that same sense of urgency. He was enjoying the feel of the intimacy, the tempo and pace. An equation of longing and need..

Soon even these thoughts of coherence were discarded as the rising pleasure drowned it all out.

"Eeg, I-" Eugene couldn't hold on any longer and sensed his precious Egon was close to the edge himself. With one final thrust, he finished, holding Egon close as he felt the climax race through Egon's body and his own in turn. Egon's nails dig firmly into his back, the doctor's hoarse voice crying his name sharply, over and over.

Silence fell, save for their heavy breathing, as the echoes of their finish rippled through them. Eugene kissed Egon's lips hungrily, hearing how fast his heart was pounding in his ears. He looked down at the exhausted, spent genius beneath him. Egon looked simply delectable, the look in those often-distant grey eyes now one of undeniable contentment.

"Mm...the test?" Egon murmured softly, those gorgeous eyes meeting his now as he licked his lips "did I pass?"

Eugene grinned and kissed him again, "Ohhh yes, my sweet Egon. With flying colours."

He pulled out gently, hearing Egon sigh wistfully as he pulled the covers up over them. He cradled Egon against his chest, flushing happily as the doctor nuzzled against his collarbone, both of them feeling relaxed and content.

Egon's body thrummed with a comfortable energy, the slightest movement sending carbon copies of the crescendo ringing through him. Eugene's embrace was warm and the room was filled with the scent of sweat and pheromones. Egon looked up at Eugene as they basked in the afterglow, the thrill of this new discovery making his pulse race.

"I loved it." he whispered to his partner.

"Me too, Eeg. Me too." Eugene said softly, kissing his lover's forehead as he stroked his hair.

Eugene held him close as they drifted asleep, happy beyond words that he'd been able to make Egon feel good, after all the guilt he'd been under. He hadn't been lying when he'd said he found his partners sensitivity exciting.

* * *

Meanwhile, back with Ray….

* * *

While Ray fidgeted, pacing back and forth and wondering what the fine line was between concern for his friend or pestering him, Peter was opening the envelope he'd gotten earlier that day.

In it was a photo, blurry but there was no denying it. Soon as he looked at her, Peter caught glimpses of a fuzzy memory, of her hair, her voice…

-Where did you go, mom?- he wondered. It'd been so long since he'd seen her…

Local authorities had gotten a phone call, leading them to the building where a young and very dazed Peter had been found. He'd had little to no memory of where he'd come from, where his family were, or even his name. Luckily, some documents were found in the pocket of his coat, giving his name as 'Peter Venkman'. The cops had fussed over him kindly, giving him a warm jacket to wear, hot tea for the shock and followed this up with a hot meal. From there, he'd been placed in emergency custody with a kindly couple and after a week together, they had offered to adopt him. He'd had a good life growing up with them, but as he got older, the feeling of being out of place had only gotten worse, so he'd thrown himself into **NOT** thinking about who he was. Instead, he'd developed a confident, brash personality that hid any of those lingering fears and over time, it'd become who he was…

The envelope he held so tightly contained the end result of cumulated efforts over months of investigating, following every last bit of info he'd been able to get. Then finding a reputable private detective to track her down, or at least find out what had happened to her. According to records, his father was confirmed deceased, but information on his mother was almost non-existent.

He head pounded and he let the sheaf of papers fall to the attic floor. Was it time to give up-?

"Peter..?"

He jolted, back going ramrod straight as he heard the access door to the attic click open and Ray's gentle voice, more a hushed whisper, drifted across the space.

"Hey, uhm, I brought more coffee?"

Peter looked over his shoulder, seeing Ray with a thermos and mug clutched in one hand.

"I'll leave it here." Ray smiled softly, but his worry was written all over his gentle features as he set the objects as far from the door as he could reach. He was about to descend the ladder when he heard Peter speak.

"Stay, please?"

Ray's heart lifted and he made a relieved noise that, unseen to him, made Peter smile very faintly. He drew the door closed behind him, walking over to sit down beside Peter. At first he left a little gap between them, but Peter linked his fingers through Ray's belt once again, a clear indicator for him to move closer. Ray shuffled along until their knees and upper arms were touching.

Peter's arm moved back to resting in his lap, he was still staring at the papers spread out before him. Ray stayed silent, sensing Peter needed to speak in his own time and he didn't want to break the fragile state Venkman was in.

"Minerva…it's my mother's name, Ray. It was the only thing she left me of her. I was only a kid.."

He began telling the whole story to Ray, all of it. Even the trouble he'd been in during his rebellious teenage phase, how he'd been searching for her since making enough money from ghostbusting. He finished with a heavy sigh, throat a little sore from so much talking.

"I know she's still alive, somehow. But where is she?" He sighed heavily "so, now you know-"

He cut off as he heard a sorrowful hiccup. Looking aside at Ray, he seen the other was using his sleeve to dry his tears. Ray's hazel eyes caught the light from the single bulb suspended form the ceiling and shimmered faintly.

"Geez, Ray..." Peter felt a jab of affection for how sweet he was "you don't have to get upset for me."

"I-i cant help it." Ray dropped his hand back to resting on his knee "I just never realised any of this-"

"Well, _DUH_. I never told anyone." Peter gave him a jokey smile, but Ray could see it was impacting him heavily. He looked down at the photo resting atop the pile now, asking was that her? Peter nodded silently, staring at the woman in the picture.

"Yeah, all these years and finally I have some idea what she looks like. I described the few memories I had of her, the scant distinct images I was left with. The only reason I remember her name is because she had it stitched on her uniform from wherever she worked. From there, it's just been years of waiting."

On hearing it had been **YEARS** , Ray felt himself tear up again. He was lucky, he had grown up knowing his parents, been an average kid…

"Stop crying, you big goof." Peter said, brushing the tears away with his thumb, making Ray flush faintly.

"I-I cant help it, I-It's just.." He sniffled again.

"Shhh, c'mere you." Peter couldn't sit on the temptation any longer and drew Ray in for a kiss. He kept it short and sweet, despite every part of him crying out to kiss Raymond until his lips went numb and his head was spinning-

Ray flushed, utterly speechless as Peter let him go. It'd stopped his tears, anyway…

Peter returned to facing forward again, the palms of his hands resting flat on the floor as if he didn't trust them not to reach for the man beside him. Ray's heart lodged in his throat as he seen the maelstrom fighting inside Peter's head. He reached forward to put a hand on Peter's shoulder, pausing as Peter abruptly piped up;

"Why do you stay?" he asked softly.

"Huh?" Ray blinked "stay where, Peter-?"

"Around _ME_. You ended up getting dragged into my mess, all because I snapped at you. You don't belong in that kind of world Ray, that's why I told myself that you were-" he stopped with a snarl of anguish, this wasn't going to plan at all.

-Shut up, moron!- he groaned.

"That I was _WHAT_ , Peter?" Ray asked, sensing he was close to getting through to him. Sure enough, Peter heaved a sigh and carried on.

"That you were out of my reach, Raymond! Y'know; do not touch, off-limits, labelled 'keep as far away from Peter-goddamn-Venkman as you can!' Why, Ray? Why aren't you looking for someone better?!"

He looked away again, unable to bear the sympathy overflowing in Stantz's eyes. He ran one hand through his hair in frustration, so much exhaustion was weighing down on him that he felt about ready to crack under the strain.

Ray fell silent a moment, then he reached out and clasped one of Peter's hands in his, feeling the subtle tremor from it. Peter tensed, looking a mix of lost and startled that Ray was being so kind.

"Because I always try to see the best in people, Peter, even when they try to hide it. You say that your a cad, that you're only in it for sex…but if that was the case, you wouldn't have hesitated all those times we, y'know- kissed. Would you?"

Peter flinched as Ray hit the nail on the head, so much for his illusion of control. Ray seen this and knew he was on the right track.

"You said before, that you'd made a choice. What was it?" Ray asked, hoping Peter would trust him.

Peter bit his lip, one hand moving to rub at that same spot on his neck. Ray waited, sitting patiently until Peter let his hand fall back to his side.

"I decided I don't want to go back to Ivan." he whispered "I intend to break it off."

Ray nodded, his gaze moving to the mark on Peter's neck again. Seeing where he was looking, Peter stared at the floor and squeezed Ray's hand, he was still clasping it like a last desperate lifeline.

"Is that because...did things get rough?" Ray sounded concerned, was this guy abusing Peter in some way? It seemed impossible, but there were people out there that were just that conniving-

Peter seen the fear in Ray's eyes and shook his head, smiling wryly.

"It's nothing that serious, Ray. I was just a fool, to think it was anything lasting. I ignored the evidence for so long, but it became clear the morning after the night I wore my uniform, when you guys dropped me off-"

"What happened?" Ray asked and Peter gave a bitter laugh.

"The penny finally dropped. He said he'd been wanting to see me in my uniform since day one, mainly so he could get me out of it. Maybe that's why he was much more aggressive than usual, like he was leaving marks for a reason. It was the morning after that I remembered the way he'd been fascinated by the name badge and I realised he'd never once called me by my first name, always 'doctor', or my surname."

"Wow. What an asshole!" Ray blurted, looking horrified "and wait- marks? Plural?"

Peter winced, he hadn't meant to let that part slip. This wasn't going well, he only yearned for Ray's warmth and security even more now, whilst trying to keep him away from the chaos that inevitably followed in his wake. But somehow, Ray had become an integral part of this mess, showing Peter that mindless seduction wasn't the only option, showing such concern for him...

"M-my back.." he trailed off, unable to say it, say that there were others. Ray felt the urge to find this 'Ivan' guy and punch his teeth so far down his throat that the only way he'd be able to eat would be with his butt, what a jerk-

"Well, good riddance to him." he said firmly, making Peter blink in surprise. "You're better off without him. You deserve better, anyway."

"Really?" Peter sighed doubtfully "I'm a psychologist Ray, I'm not blind. I told you how I work and trust me, I'm no good to anyone, let alone me. I told Dana the same thing back when I was still trying to ignore the truth about myself.."

"And I recall her saying to ME that she said "you're better than you give yourself credit for." Yes, we still talk, I run into her at the library from time to time. She and Oscar are doing great, she's hoping you'll come by and see him, the kid sees you as an uncle of sorts, apparently."

"Heh, I'm glad she's happy." Peter said softly. He vowed to give her a ring sometime, see her again..

"Regardless, she's right." Ray wasn't being deterred and now he seen the first stirrings of hope in Venkman's eyes.

"You can try to fool me all you want, Peter," Ray placed emphasis on his name, thinking how that Ivan creep had never shown such a basic courtesy "but I am not leaving you alone to suffer like this."

Peter tried to resist, but when Ray's fingers brushed his cheek, tilting his head so they were eye to eye, he couldn't reject him. Ray shifted so he knelt in front of Peter, setting the paperwork aside and planting a firm, decisive kiss on him.

Peter uttered a soft groan, until now he'd always been the one to instigate it "Ray.."

"Yes?" Ray asked airily, tantalisingly kissing Peter again. He drew back so they were mere centimetres apart, one hand coming to rest on the back of Peter's neck, where it rubbed slow, reassuring circles.

"Stay?" Peter said, but there was a lot said within that sentence.

 _Stay with me._

 _Don't give up on me._

 _Stay...close._

Ray kissed him deeply, feeling the last of Peter's resistance drain away as he wrapped his arms around Ray and pulled him to his chest. He was almost sitting on Peter's lap now, and Ray felt a wonderful little shiver run up his back at how close they were.

Peter's tongue brushed his lips and Ray eagerly parted them, moaning softly into the kiss. The kisses they had had before had been sweet, but this was….

They parted at last, and his eyes met Peter's.

"I'm staying." Ray said firmly and Peter didn't know how to respond to that, so just settled for kissing Ray again, one hand coming to rest at Ray's hip. He swore he could feel the heat of Stantz's body through his clothing, could taste sugar from whatever confection he'd been eating, fresh on his lips.

Ray pressed into his hold, hands linking at Peter's back, which only made Peter want more of him…

Somehow balance was lost, up become down as they became tangled in each other. When next they parted, Ray's lips tingled from Peter's kiss and he was lying on the floor on his back, with Venkman kneeling over him. He seen a hopeful expression on Peter's face, unsure if the man even knew he was wearing it as he brushed a hand along Ray's cheek.

Ray tangled his fingers in Peter's hair, kissing him hungrily as his heart raced.

Peter was so close to him, legs braced either side of Ray's. He felt Peter's fingers pluck at his shirt, slipping under the fabric to brush against his skin and it felt unbelievably good, arousing, even. Ray moaned softly, strong surges running along his spine as Peters hand slipped fully under his shirt and he pressed his hand flat against Rays side. Peter released Rays lips from his, moving to kiss Ray's neck, then nudging aside his shirt to nibble at his collarbone.

Ray felt close to passing out for a moment, the sensations this was giving were mind-blowing. He'd never done IT, not with a guy anyway, but the more Peter touched him, those gentle hands and lips tracing patterns over his skin- it felt amazing. Yet, he wondered if Peter was used to someone with more experience?

Oh, who was he kidding? Peter was a pro at this.

-For pity's sake, you're still a goddamn virgin, Ray!- the voice of common sense piped up and Peter heard Ray whimper faintly, a strange noise whose tone he couldn't discern. He parted from Ray, looking down at the man beneath him.

"Too much?" he asked softly, as Ray gathered his wits. He looked so cute, sprawled below Peter, sweat-dampened hair sticking to his forehead. His eyes were bright and cheeks flushed from the kissing..

"Uh….n-no." Ray stammered, suddenly shy. Peter tilted his head, sitting back and pulling Ray into a sitting position. The younger man sat slightly hunched up, toying with the cuff of his trousers.

"Out with it." Peter ordered "I can't, no- I _WON'T_ make the same mistakes I did in the past, with _YOU_. Is this freaking you out?"

Ray bit his lip, then fidgeted again.

"No," he whispered as he went even redder then Peter thought he could "quite the opposite, Peter."

Peter realised, in a lightbulb moment; that was why he was sitting like that. Had he gotten the innocent doctor all 'worked up'?

He swallowed dryly, unsure of how to proceed. He wanted to sleep with Ray, a thousand times **YES** , but was Ray ready? If his shyness wasn't from dislike of an intimate touch, what was the root cause?

"What's wrong?" he asked huskily, tilting Ray's chin up so their eyes met. Ray went even redder, this was embarrassing, but he may as well tell the truth-

"Uhm...I've never actually done this." he finished in a barely audible whisper. He could feel himself blushing from this embarrassing admission.

-Ah, I see. Sweet Ray, you don't need to worry.— Peter nodded to himself, then kissed Ray softly, taking a deep breath and asking a simple question as they parted.

"Will you trust me, Ray?"

Ray blinked up at him, eyes wide as he searched Peter's expression, heart leaping.

"I always have." He said softly, making Peter kiss him deeply, whispering his name as they parted. Peter then got to his feet, leading Ray over to the makeshift bed he'd set up.

He lay Ray down atop the mattress, kissing his lips, nose and throat as he crouched over him. He wanted to kiss every inch of his body, show Ray the love he truly deserved. He nudged the man's pristine shirt out of the way, moving his hands up Ray's sides and kissing the bare skin beneath as he uncovered it. Ray was breathing fast, making the cutest sounds and uttering little moans of pleasure.

Peter paused a moment to remove his own shirt in one swift move, hearing the fabric flutter to the floor as he gave an eager sigh, the cool air felt good on his skin. He seen Ray staring at him, blushing again.

"What's wrong? You've seen me wandering around shirtless plenty of times." he chuckled softly, making to remove Ray's shirt entirely, instead of leaving it bunched up around his chest like that.

"Y-you don't have to- I mean-" Ray shut his eyes and mentally slapped himself. Peter looked so damn good, how was he supposed to compare? He'd always thought of himself as a little on the pudgy side..

Peter clocked what was wrong in a millisecond and smiled. Oh, Ray was just so adorable.

"You silly," he teased, brushing Ray's ear with his lips "don't you recall? I was trying to to ogle you when you were just. Wearing. A towel. One word, Raymond: BOING."

Ray flushed, but couldn't help a soft laugh as he met Peter's eye, seen him wink saucily and lift his eyebrows in that knowing way of his.

When Peter moved to disrobe Ray's upper body a second time, he didn't try to stop him. The way Peter looked at him as he discarded the shirt, it was a look of sheer unleashed desire. Venkman had a passionate nature and Ray simply couldn't refute the way he looked at him now.

"Not gonna lie, I've been daydreaming about this. About YOU, Raymond." Peter confessed, kissing Ray's chest as he unbuckled his belt, teasingly unzipping Ray's trousers. He caressed Ray gently through his underwear, feeling him arch his back to press into the touch. He was hot and hard under Peter's hands, the light highlighting the curves of his naked upper body.

"You have?" Ray panted, wondering if he was hearing things for a moment? But then he flashed back to all those moments when they'd shared a kiss or two, when they'd still been hesitantly feeling the situation out. Peter had seemed like he was reigning himself in, restraining himself…

"Mm-hmm." Peter said nonchalantly, caressing Ray again. He moved Ray's trousers down, letting them join the increasing pile of clothing off to the side of the bed. Ray squirmed as he felt Peter remove his underwear, feeling dangerously exposed, yet excited.

The mattress shifted as Peter ceased ravishing him to remove his own trousers. Ray opened his eyes again just as Peter knelt back on the bed, BETWEEN Ray's legs this time. He had something in his hand that Ray couldn't see properly. His eyes were drawn instead to his partner's obvious arousal and he felt his heart pound, was HE really doing this to Peter?

"You bet that gorgeous ass of yours you are," Peter followed his gaze and again seemed to read his mind as he took the cap off the tube, letting a transparent, slick fluid drip onto his fingers. "you don't realise how damn cute you are Ray, and I don't just mean physically."

Rays heart pounded happily as Peter kissed him gently, then he felt his friends hand slip between his legs and all coherent thought was abandoned as Venkman began his preparations. Ray dug his hands into the blanket beneath him, a surge of heat flooding his body as Peter's agile fingers plunged into him. Peter leant forward, kissing and nuzzling at Ray's neck as he stepped up the sensual exploration.

"You're so hot, Ray.." he said huskily "feels damn good."

Ray squeaked in response, he didn't have the capacity for words right now, this was all new to him and he was too caught up revelling in these new sensations. All those idle fantasies he'd had back in university, long suppressed by his meditation, came flooding back now. He'd dreamed of getting to kiss Venkman, wistfully imagining the other man was like him.

And all these years, they'd shared the same secret…

Peter kissed him again, drawing Ray back to the present. He ceased prepping the adorable Stantz, hearing Ray utter a flustered sound as the attention stopped for the moment, letting him draw breath.

"I'd love to know whats going on in your head?" he purred as he studied the look in Ray's eyes and groaned happily when Ray kissed him.

"I'll tell you, later." Ray promised, seeing a spark of curiosity in Peter's eyes as he grinned excitedly. He planted a kiss on Ray's nose and settled back, gently moving his partner's legs up and apart. Setting his hands either side of Ray's shoulders as he positioned himself, he kissed Ray's forehead. Then, he moved.

Ray bit back a stifled gasp as he felt Peter enter him, registered the heat of him and wondered; could his body handle this? A brief tremor ran through him, but there was no denying his own excitement, he could **FEEL** it.

"Shhh, it's OK." Peter halted as he heard Ray gasp, separating enough to kiss him softly. "It'll hurt a little at first, but if you don't want-?"

Ray placed his hands either side of Peter's face, pulling Venkman's mouth down to his and cutting off his proposal with a passionate kiss. When he released him, he had a look of fiery determination and desire on his face that Venkman thought was sexy as all get out.

"I'm not leaving." he teased, calling back to his promise earlier, but now there was an edge of wanting there too. Peter nodded, heart racing as a moment he'd fantasised about unfolded before him…he vowed to be gentle, Ray deserved the best of him.

Peter kissed him once more, then picked up where he'd left off. With every slow, well-paced thrust, he felt Ray's body relax more and more, heard the underlying tone of discomfort in his voice rapidly shift to pleasure the more Ray got used to him.

Judging that the other man was ready for a little more, Peter began in earnest, picking up the pace and plunging fully into him with each movement. Ray called out sharply, back arching as the sensation ramped up tenfold and he braced his feet against the mattress, wanting more-

He heard Peter whispering his name over and over, and Ray responded in kind, snaring a kiss and hearing Peter moan softly against his lips. He gripped Venkman's shoulders, keeping his palms flat so his nails didn't mar Peter's skin like Ivan's had.

The pleasure was becoming almost unbearably good and Ray knew that he, in his naivety, couldn't last much longer. The urge to give in and experience something he'd only fantasised about, sleeping with his best friend- it was almost too strong.

Peter was aware of how close Ray was, and admired him for holding on like he did, but he didn't want this little cutie to be kept waiting. Not that he was far from climax himself either, Ray was just too tempting-

So, with one final, heavy thrust, he let himself finish inside the other Ghostbuster, Ray's voice crying his name sharply as he hit his peak too.

The air rang with silence as they became still, each relishing in the finale. Ray clung to Peter as the other man's body rested atop his, breathing in the scent of his skin.

Finally, Peter drew back enough to meet Ray's eyes, propping himself up on one elbow so he could caress his lover's face.

"Hey." he said, lost for anything more suave to say. After everything he'd done, everything that'd happened, he couldn't believe he'd been given a chance like this.

"H-hey." Ray responded cutely, but the look in his eyes said it all, he'd enjoyed it.

Peter stole a quick kiss as he gently pulled out, hearing Ray squeak softly. The sounds he made were so adorable, a fact he informed Raymond of as he lay down atop the mattress and drew him into his arms. Ray flushed, but was secretly happy Peter hadn't laughed at the funny noises he'd made.

Part of him could hardly believe this was real, that he'd just done the horizontal tango with Peter, let alone that he sure as heck wasn't so 'innocent' anymore. Ray smiled sleepily as Peter drew a second blanket over them, his warm strong arms wrapping around Ray and holding him close once more.

Ray fell asleep almost right away, exhausted by not just the physical exertion, but the sense of relief that Peter was alright, thad he'd been able to help him.

Peter remained awake a little longer, watching the slumbering Raymond sharing his bed. He'd never expected the evening to take such a turn, but he didn't regret a minute of it. Ray had been right, sex without any warmth or affection **WAS** lonely, he **HAD** wanted more.

He drifted asleep, feeling content for the first time in forever.

* * *

Peter woke before Ray, really urgently needing to pee. Hardly the most romantic thought in the universe. He silently cursed all the coffee he'd drunk along with those cans of soda during dinner and eventually realised he would have to get up. He reluctantly untangled himself from Ray, who was still fast asleep with a cute smile on his slumbering face. He stopped a moment to watch him sleep, admiring how good he looked with the blankets draped over his body..

* * *

Once dressed, he crept downstairs to the bathroom, mind still on last nights activities. He'd been in the most miserable place, feeling tired and angry, when Ray had come to find him. As ever, he'd been offering the bitter, cynical Peter a dose of optimism and kindness. It'd started with a simple kiss, and had led to him fulfilling the fantasy that'd dogged his imagination of late, sleeping with Ray. He was faced with the simple fact; wanting the person you were sleeping with made it all the more valuable…and he wanted Ray with him, no questions.

He was out in the hall, turning to go back to the attic and the sweet man waiting there, when he heard knocking on the door from below. He frowned, had Janine forgotten her keys?

He was glad he'd gotten redressed, as the person at the door was **NOT** Janine, but the detective he'd met with before. He invited him inside and the man apologised for showing up so early, but he had urgent information he thought that Peter should know, regarding his mother. She'd been spotted fleeing from police officers after they'd found her sleeping in the public library. They hadn't been trying to arrest her, merely ask if she was alright, but she'd given them the slip and hadn't been found since.

Peter felt like the floor had dropped away beneath him, his mother was in New York? His head was spinning, and he just barely managed to thank the detective for letting him know. Once the guy had left, Peter leant back against the door, feeling like his stomach had been hollowed out…

Soft footsteps padded down the stairs and he heard;

"Peter..?"

* * *

Upstairs, Ray had drifted awake just as Peter was in the bathroom. He murmured Peter's name, reaching out to him, only to encounter an empty mattress. He blinked, snapping fully awake now as anxiety clawed at his stomach. He knew he was being silly, maybe he'd just gone to the bathroom? Yet, his clothes were gone too…

Ray sat up and drew his knees up to his chest, was he being a hopeless romantic in expecting to wake with the one who'd ravished him so lovingly still with him? The minutes passed and his unease grew, along with a smidge of awkward embarrassment. Chastising himself for overthinking, he got dressed and quietly slipped downstairs, searching each room for Peter as he went, but there was no sign of him. He couldn't hear the TV, or even anyone moving around in the kitchen.

Finally, Ray could only think Peter had to have left and he sighed heavily. He figured he may as well go down and check the answerphone at reception if he had nothing better to do.

* * *

But when he reached the bottom of the steps, he realised Peter was there. Leaning back against the door, looking strangely shocked and staring vacantly at the floor. He didn't even seemed to have noticed Ray descending the stairs.

'Peter?" Ray asked now, stepping closer to him. Peter jolted, eyes locking on Ray for a few seconds before he was able to speak;

"Ray…?" he mistook Ray's look of concern for upset and quickly realised why. Guilt hit him like a hammer and he felt his heart sink at how it had to have looked to Stantz. "Ray, I'm so sorry. I only went to the bathroom, then there was knocking on the door-"

"It's OK," Ray said, putting aside his anxiety at thinking he'd been forgotten. Peter looked shellshocked, Ray hadn't seen him look this surprised since…ever. Clearly, whatever had happened was _**BIG**_. He stood before Peter now, stroking his cheek and kissing him gently. "what happened?"

Peter's arms wrapped around him and he buried his face in Ray's shoulder, breathing in the scent of him.

"I got some news from the detective I hired. My mother, she's….he informed me of a report he'd picked up from his contact at NYPD, that a woman matching her description was spotted in the public library."

Ray's eyes went wide and he drew back to look at Peter "then she's here?" he asked, millions of thoughts racing around his head. Peter nodded mutely, expression torn between relief and sadness that he'd come so close. Hidden behind his normally distant eyes were so many things; fear, hope, tentative belief…

"We'll find her." Ray vowed, pressing against Peter and gently nuzzling his cheek. Peter's hands linked at his lower back, the warmth of his hands piercing the layers of clothing to heat Ray's skin. He uttered a happy sigh, hoping this wasn't a dream, because cliché as it sounded, he didn't think he'd ever felt THIS happy before…

"Thank you Raymond." Peter said, as he regained his composure, looking into Ray's gentle eyes "and I didn't meant to be absent when you woke-"

"It's OK Peter," Ray said gently, brushing a kiss over Peter's lips "you can make it up to me next time, perhaps?"

Peter raised an eyebrow at the **VERY** suggestive tone in Ray's voice, making the younger man blush nervously. A grin worked its way over his face and he snared Ray's lips in a deep kiss, seeing the other man flush ever redder as they parted "I'm counting on it."

Ray smiled, letting Peter go so he could step away from the door. He stretched his arms over his head as Peter walked by, feeling his muscles sigh in relief at the action. An echo ran up his back and he stopped with a curious squeak, which caught Peter's eye. He walked back to stand behind Ray as he stood there looking a little flushed, wrapping his arms around Stantz and kissing behind his ear. Ray gave a little sigh and pretty much turned to jelly in his arms.

"Mm, ears, noted." Peter teased, kissing Ray when the man angled his body to meet his eyes. "You might be feeling a little stiff there, cutie. It's not too painful, is it-?"

He was cut off by a kiss, giving up on the question for the moment as he closed his eyes and indulged in another kiss with Ray. They might not have been in bed, but this was without a doubt the 'morning after' snuggling a guy like Ray deserved. He was like a drug and Peter didn't want to stop taking it.

"It doesn't hurt." Ray said softly, reassuringly. Peter flushed this time and kissed the tip of his nose, murmuring Ray's name. In any other circumstance, he'd have said he was taking too big a risk, but Ray…Ray was different. Peter trusted him, had always known he was the best friend you could hope for.

As Ray opened his mouth to speak, there came from upstairs a VERY loud yelp and someone crying out in concern. The two exchanged bemused looks then without a word set off together up the stairs. Peter grabbed the nearest Proton pack as he ran, just in case…

* * *

It took a moment for Egon to realise something was different as he drifted awake. First; he was wrapped in someone's arms, their body pressed close to his own. Two; the sensation that raced up his back as he moved ever so slightly. His memories returned as his eyes fluttered slowly open; he'd finally dropped the barrier and let himself indulge in physical intimacy with Eugene.

He thought he'd well and truly destroyed what they had, when the secret of his sensitivity to pleasure came to light, but far from being deterred, Eugene had been even more enamoured with him.

He felt himself blush as his eyes settled on his sleeping partner. The hazy morning light that slipped in between the blinds glinted off Eugene's hair as it brushed his neck. The longer he studied him, the stronger the urge to kiss him became until Egon gave in to temptation and tentatively brushed his lips over Eugene's, recalling how amazing last night had been. Part of his mind chastised him for being so unscientific, but it was swiftly quashed by the biological urges Egon had once studied late into the night…

"Mmm..." Eugene stirred, instinctively responding to the kiss, reaching a waking state just as Egon parted from him. Opening his eyes, he seen a glimpse of the shyer side of Egon's nature as the genius coughed politely and edged back a smidge, lifting one hand to run it through his hair. With the body heat and "exertion" of the night, it'd long since slipped from its normally perfectly styled manner, becoming closer to how it'd been when they'd been in college.

"Hello, handsome." Eugene grinned, caressing Egon's cheek with one hand and letting his eyes travel over as much of his body as there was on display.

Egon felt his heart slam deliriously against his ribcage, as if the organ had been given a direct injection of concentrated sugar. He fumbled something to say, but it was hopeless, he had no preset for this situation. Eugene smiled at how damn cute Spengler was and sat himself up, gently pulling the genius against his chest, arms wrapping around the man's slender body. Egon shifted how he sat so he could rest comfortably against Eugene.

"Morning." he said softly, for lack of anything more seductive. He closed his eyes, wincing at how clumsy he was-

But Eugene's lips closed over his a second later and brushed away the threads of concern and guilt.

"Seriously, Eeg. I don't think the universe can handle this much cute." Eugene teased as he let Egon go from the kiss. Egon nudged his glasses back into place, curious grey eyes studying Eugene closely.

"I did not think cute could be quantified." he said, head tilted to one side, closing his eyes and uttering an involuntary moan as Eugene placed a palm against his cheek, fingers tangling in his hair. His skin smelt so good…

"Sure it can. The periodic element is E and S." Eugene kissed Egon again, letting his other hand trace a pattern down Egon's back, delighting in how warm his skin was. "Weighs about, hmmm, a whole lot of feathers?"

Egon surprised himself by laughing softly, Eugene's little scientific flirting was cute. He liked it.

Eugene's big, goofy grin as Egon pointed this out was soon followed by him gently pinning Egon to the bed and kissing him once more. This would've carried on, had Egon's stomach not rumbled. He flushed, face-palming as Eugene drew back to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Apologies. It seems that last night used up far more caloric intake than I had considered."

"Well, I'll stuff you full of cupcakes next time." Eugene chuckled, giving Egon a saucy wink and stage-whispering "nudge nudge; shameless innuendo, wink wink. Buttercream, yes or no-?"

Egon burst out laughing at that one, burying his face in Eugene's shoulder as honest-to-goodness laughter took over. Soon Eugene was chuckling too, even Eeg's laugh was adorably infectious. He knew he was acting like a lovesick teenager, but in a way, that's what he WAS. This was the first MAJOR crush of his life, a chance he thought he'd long since missed but here he was, enjoying some morning-after playfulness with the man of his dreams. Their eyes met and Egon grinned, making Eugene want to go fetch those cupcakes right that second-

But he reminded himself that he wanted Egon to get used to this stuff in his own time, he needed to not bombard him with his own urges.

So he released Egon from his hold and the both of them headed for the shower. Eugene ushered Egon in first, wishing they had the building to themselves, but weren't Venkman and Stantz still here? It occurred to him then, that things seemed very quiet.

* * *

He followed after Egon once they'd washed and dressed, hearing faint voices down below.

"Ah, Ray and Peter are still here." Egon nodded "It is unusual for Peter to be so quiet however, he has normally got the TV on full volume by now."

"Let's just be happy it's quiet then." Eugene chuckled as Egon detoured to his lab to grab his papers. Eugene couldn't help hang back and observe the way Egon walked, that subtle shift in those hips-

Egon glanced at Eugene as he stood on tiptoes and began rifling through the cabinet, seeing both the look in his eyes and where he was looking. His heart began running laps around his ribcage, but he still found himself meeting Eugene's eyes with a smile.

"Is it obvious?" He asked curiously as he relaxed back onto his feet, a folder clutched in his hands.

Eugene ducked his head "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare. But, to answer your question Eeg, just in the way you walk, which was already cute. You're just…made of cute."

Egon felt a surge of affection and beckoned Eugene over, rewarding him with a kiss. He knew there was a sizeable risk that Peter or Ray might walk in, but at that precise moment he was just too busy enjoying himself to care. Tucking the folder under this arm as he let Eugene go, he turned back to the filing cabinet and came face to face with something vaporous, pale pink and with a feminine face that stared intently at him.

Egon let out a strangled yelp, freezing in place.

"Eugene..." He whispered, not breaking eye contact with the spirit "get Peter. Or Raymond. _NOW_."

"Fret not," The spirit smiled as she beheld the young man before her "I am not here to harm you, I merely here to-"

As she spoke, Egon was trying to inch his way back, but lost his balance and fell over with a thud, prompting Eugene to come running over, sitting him up and letting Egon's back rest against his chest.

Frantic footsteps announced the incoming of the buildings other two residents. Peter charged in, Proton pack strapped hurriedly to his back, gripping the neutron wand in an iron grip. Ray stumbled in behind, one hand reaching out to steady himself on Peter's shoulder. His mouth fell open as he regarded the scene before him.

"OK, hold it right there-!" Peter hit the switch on the proton pack, hearing and feeling the reassuring hum as it kicked into gear.

"Please, young sir!" the Ghost declared, swooping round to face Venkman "lower your weapon, I am not here to harm you."

"Wow!" Ray tugged at Peter's sleeve, forcing Peter's gaze to reluctantly tear away from the ghost to meet his "she's talking! We don't often meet ghosts THIS coherent. Usually they're homicidal, not polite."

Peter glanced from Ray's excited, hopeful gaze, then at the ghost. His eyes remained narrowed slightly and he lowered the weapon to point towards the floor, but he didn't shut it off just yet.

"Who are you?" he asked icily. Ray took in the protective way Eugene was shielding Egon. Egon's eye's met his and Ray definitely seen him flush faintly, his gaze darting away before returning to Ray. He looked worried, which as rare for Egon.

Realising what had to have happened, Ray offered a smile, wishing he could say just how much he understood. He hadn't even considered what would happen after he and Peter slept together, as he'd never imagined it would ever even happen!

The ghost meanwhile, was still convincing Venkman not to open fire on her. At last, after another plaintive look from Ray, he shut the pack off.

"Start talking." he said curtly.

"Peter!" Ray sighed "be nice."

Peter gave him a stern look, but Ray just countered it with a glower of his own. Both of them missed a curious look from the ghost, but she dismissed it, taking this chance to explain.

"I am a what is known in your language as a "hearts echo" spirit. I died after being separated from my beloved, so I seek out strong feelings of affection and adoration. This is a house unlike any I have seen in quite some time and I have journeyed far these many centuries."

"Wow." Ray was grinning ear-to-ear, this was so exciting, Peter almost wanted to pat him on the head. He was like an excitable puppy, and cute to boot.

Then the spirit's words hit home and he tensed up subtly, what did she mean "strong feelings"? Was she talking about the kissing and canoodling they'd been doing in reception-?

Then his gaze settled on Eugene and Egon, noting several things about them;

 _1) Egon was pretty much being cradled in Eugene's arms and he wasn't turning bright red or wigging out._

 _2) His hair was loose, something Peter had never seen._

 _3) As Eugene helped him to stand, Egon didn't seem fazed by Eugene's hand coming to rest protectively at his waist._

A grin spread over Peter's face, and Ray blinked, getting a foreboding sensation.

"Oh-Ho…" Peter raised an eyebrow "so thats what that hairdo is about, Spengler. Bed hair!"

Egon faltered a moment but nudged his glasses up his nose as he regained his composure.

"You tell me," he shot back "your nights out have oft yielded such a result, or so your morning-after stories would have us believe."

"Touché." Peter snickered, actually quite impressed by Egon's quick wit. The spirit beamed, her attention back on the couple she'd first encountered.

"Then it was you that I sensed!" she said gently, her voice almost lilting, like music "I'm happy I found this house, there is a wellspring of strong bonds here."

Ray blinked, wondering what she meant? Had she picked up on just Egon and Eugene, and just what had she sensed?

Peter's brain was way ahead of him and he raised an eyebrow at Eugene "I'm assuming you two weren't 'studying' last night then?"

Eugene coughed and made a funny little sound while Egon felt his first surge of unease and tensed up, but to his surprise, Peter just shrugged and said nothing more.

On a normal day, Peter would have mercilessly teased the two, but as he'd joked about studying, he felt Ray's fingers pluck at his sleeve, out of sight of the rest.

Peter glanced at Ray quickly as Egon stepped forward to introduce himself and Eugene to the ghost. Ray flashed a cute, hesitant smile at him, as if concerned Peter may be angry with him. Dammit, how could Ray be so tempting-

He opened his mouth to say something, but was startled by a swift flash of pink swooshing towards Ray. Out of instinct, he stepped between Ray and the inquisitive ghost, neutron wand aimed squarely at the perceived threat inside of a split second. She came to a halt, tilting her head and examining these two. The gentler-looking one radiated a rare innocence she had not witnessed in many a year, but the other one-? She picked up many emotions, but they were in conflict and she could not get a read on him. There was something else unusual about him, but she didn't recognise it. He was very closely guarded, more so than most she'd met...

"There is no need for alarm, I merely wished to introduce myself." She gave a sweeping bow "my name is Alessa."

"I'm Ray...Ray Stantz." Ray stepped forward, beaming warmly at her even as Peter remained silent, although he had relaxed slightly. Ray set a hand on the guns nozzle, angling it away from their ghostly guest and shooting Peter a quick look that said 'please trust me.'

Alessa again thought she picked up something familiar about these two, but the bond she had sensed had been from the other two young men, hadn't it?

She smiled now as she learnt that the 'guardian' was Peter Venkman. He gradually began to speak, asking how she'd picked up on this "signal" of hers?

"The signal, well, I am certain it is singular, called brightly to me, then faded..."

"Yeah, thats called an Orgas- _OW_."

The ghost blinked as an eraser sailed through her and bounced off Peter's forehead.

"Egon!' Peter snapped, glowering at the doctor.

"There's no need to be crass, Peter. Miss Alessa, I can guess from your speech that you come from an era of far stricter sensibilities in your origins. I am afraid I must warn you that modern parlance can be rather...crude."

The ghost smiled, there was something amusing about the bond between the assembled gentlemen.

"I did not mean to startle all of you, it has been awhile since I stumbled across signals like this. Also, there is a strange aura to this place.."

"Yeah, probably oughta warn you, chica." Peter said with a raised eyebrow "we're Ghostbusters. As in, we have a whole _UNIT_ full of them. Probably should've mentioned that earlier. But don't freak out, we only catch the psychopathic ones."

"What he means is," Egon caught Alessa's attention again as she blinked silently at Venkman, trying to process his fast, ever shifting modes of speech. He was an odd one, not unlike a chameleon from the books she'd once owned, always shifting and blending…

"We protect people from ghosts. Many of them, along with demons and other assorted entities, often tend to cause harm. We catch them and lock them away so they cant tear the world apart."

"I see, then you are like police?" she said, expression brightening as she latched onto the idea.

"More or less, only we're a whole lot less law-abiding. We get to fire lasers and blow things up!" Venkman grinned widely and Ray face-palmed as Alessa looked startled.

"We're not demolitions experts, I promise. The weapons just….can be hard to control." he coughed, but Alessa just chuckled and smiled warmly at this gentle-mannered man.

Peter took this opportunity to swan over to Eugene, slinging an arm around his shoulders and lowering his voice.

"You certainly work fast, you sly dog. Look after our little sea cucumber, will ya?"

"Sea cucumber?!" Eugene really was baffled by how fluidly Peter seemed to deal with the world around him, was the guy **EVER** caught off guard?

Egon caught Eugene's eye, then glanced at Peter. He was still stood rather rigidly, Venkman noticed, as if preparing for a fight. Peter grinned at him, raising an eyebrow and seeing Egon blush as he spoke;

"What else have you two lovebirds been sneaking off to do, hmm?-"

"Peter!" Egon snapped, closing his eyes "A baseball game and some bookshops, that's _IT_."

"You took him to a bookshop?" Peter looked at Eugene, who was studiously studying the ceiling "that's...unusual. Still, a baseball game makes sense, Didn't think you liked sports, Egon."

"Baseball uses a certain level of logic." Egon said through gritted teeth "there's more to it then just ogling the women in the crowd, Peter!"

"There is?" Peter said jokingly, eyes wide as if this had never occurred to him before.

Alessa was drifting around the room, examining all the things Egon was working on. Ray shifted, he felt odd, like he was out of sync with the others. Was it because the ghost had nearly guessed his and Peter's secret? He knew this was likely why Peter was drawing all the attention to Egon and Eugene, he still harboured a lot of doubts about their friends…

Ray wondered idly if he could persuade Peter to relax around the others? With how well he knew Peter now, the fact that the man laboured under so much tension worried him. The fact that Egon had also fallen for an old friend of his own, surely that meant the others wouldn't be surprised by Peter and him?

This train of thought led back to last night, and the fact hd just thrown his clothes on before searching for his missing bed partner-

—Oh-good-grief.— he thought, feeling a surge of awkward embarrassment as the realisation sunk in –I need to take a shower...I-I still have it on my skin!—

He slipped out, face turning beet red as he raced silently along the halls with intent on holding the bathroom hostage until he'd cleaned himself up!

* * *

He locked the door behind him with a sigh, discarding his hastily thrown-together outfit and switching the water on full blast. While he waited for the pressure to settle, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His eyes tracked down his body, settling on the faintly visible marks at his hips. Imprints of Peter's fingertips as he'd supported him, his hands had been so warm…

He gave himself a hasty wash, flushing softly as he washed away the evidence of his first night with Venkman. He hadn't been flirting earlier, he'd really meant it when he'd said he wanted there to be more mornings were he woke up in Venkman's arms…

He caught his reflection in the mirror as he stepped out of the shower and seen he was grinning like a lovesick teenager. He ducked his head, telling himself to calm down, but his aunt Lois had always said he had a big heart, she'd encouraged him to remain upbeat and try see the best in everyone.

And it was that same trait that'd let him see the 'softer' side of the normal cynical Venkman. When he thought about Peter's story last night, the truth about his upbringing and his search for his mother, Ray could understand why Venkman sometimes kept his distance, losing your parents was rough.

-I should really call aunt Lois sometime.- he reminded himself as he drifted back to his office, finding clean clothes and hastily redressing before going to find the others.

The others were all in the kitchen, Winston having joined them during the period Ray was in the shower. Ray greeted them all, seeing and feeling Peter's gaze linger on him just a fraction longer before it returned to the ghost hovering above the table.

Ray went to raid the fridge and listened to the conversation as it resumed around him;

"All these machines," that was Alessa "they help you find the ghosts? Are they magic, might you gentlemen be warlocks?"

"You know, we've been called that by several people." Winston raised an eyebrow and Peter nodded "seriously, what about high-tech lasers and ghost traps screams "wizards!" to these folk?"

"Old magics often conjured up bolts of elemental or light/dark magic that may resemble these "lasers" you speak of." Alessa smiled "I have slept through a great deal of progress it seems."

"You sleep? Why, you're uh...a ghost?" Peter looked perplexed.

"Even ghosts need to rest, Peter." Ray chirped, coming to stand beside him and Winston, a sandwich in hand "interacting with people and things uses up energy. They can sometimes regain it from slow-bleed EMF, usually from old or poorly shielded electronics. It's common in really old houses especially."

Peter raised an eyebrow "well thank you, professor electrical engineering."

Ray flushed indignantly. "Not my fault you never study."

"Oh I study things. So long as they catch my interest." Peter said, something like a smirk on his face as he raised an eyebrow. This innuendo sailed right over Winston's head as he just rolled his eyes at Peter.

"Yeah, T and A." he remarked now, making Ray blush and Peter utter a sarcastic laugh and pat Winston on the head.

"Nice effort Z, I think I'm rubbing off on you."

Winston gave him a look that would've deterred any normal person, but it took the impossible to derail Peter Venkman from his gutter-minded antics. So he just resorted to flicking Peter on the forehead, making him yelp indignantly and let go. He lunged for Winston, presumably to enact revenge, but despite his more sturdy build, Winston was faster on his feet thanks to his marine training and was out of range before Peter even clocked it.

"Stand still and let me hit you, dammit!" Peter said sulkily, as Winston just snorted in amusement and easily evaded Venkman again.

Egon facepalmed as Eugene muffled a burst of laughter behind his hand. Ray shook his head, but he couldn't help smile, this was his life and he loved it.

"He is quite the fraterniser then?" Alessa asked of Egon while the farce continued in the background "does he not seek a more permanent affection?"

"Peter?" Egon snorted "hardly. He's a consummate flirt, and he can talk anyone into anything, I've seen him do it."

"In fairness, he has talked the police out of arresting us in several instances." Ray put in, smiling faintly at Alessa "given our line of work, it tends to attract law enforcement, usually because of damages."

"Hey yeah!" Peter, apparently having given up on revenge, returned to the table in time to hear this last sentence "hey 'Gon, tell her about your destruction derby records!"

"I can assure you here and now, that it was not an event!" Egon said, nudging his glasses primly up his nose.

"One guy said he'd known standing armies that have less damage to their credit then ole Spengler here." Peter winked at Eugene, who grinned and looked hopefully at Egon.

"This isn't the same story as that one you mentioned about the Emu is it? Because that would be all kinds of Epic, Eeg."

"Yeah, 'Eeg.'" Peter teased "tell him the Emu story!"

"That was pretty damn funny." Winston chuckled "I swear I have _NEVER_ seen a bird that foul tempered. Or that determined to try biting Egon's butt-"

Eugene let out a loud snort of laughter before he could help himself and Egon flopped face-down across the dining table with a low groan.

"Wait, does this mean I have competition?" Eugene joked, poking Egon's side and receiving a groan in reply.

"Why, are you planning on biting-"

" ** _PETER $*-ING VENKMAN_**!" Egon finally moved, launching out of his chair with a snarl and throwing himself across the table at Peter, aiming to clobber him. But Peter took a page from Winston's book and danced aside, giggling merrily as Egon only succeeded in winding himself.

Peter swiftly ducked behind Ray, laughing his head off.

"Save me Ray, he's on the warpath!"

Ray blinked, he was totally lost by now. Even for them, this level of shenanigans was unusually high.

"You're a dead man, Venkman!" Egon growled as he regained his composure, got to his feet and cracked his knuckles.

"Ahh, it's an angry computer nerd!" Peter teased, still sticking close to Ray. Ray barely managed to focus on the mock-fight going on around him at all, for he could feel Peter's chest pressing against his back now as the doctor grinned at Egon, felt the warmth of his hands as they gripped his shoulders.

"Both of you, calm down!" he declared at last, his voice sounding oddly frustrated.

"Aw." Peter pouted, making Ray give him a stern look that Venkman privately thought was kinda sexy.

"I'm serious." Ray rolled his eyes as he stopped eyeballing Venkman and glanced at the other Ghostbuster now "Egon, please don't murder Peter, and Peter, kindly leave Egon's love life alone."

"Thank you, Ray." Winston put in "always the voice of reason, huh?"

"Someone has to be." Ray shrugged.

"Party pooper." Peter sulked, but let go of his warm, huggable shield at least.

"Why aren't you trying to stop them?" Alessa asked Winston.

'Because it's too damn funny, and I can't help myself sometimes."

Egon was still scowling at Venkman, so Peter raised his hands in surrender as Ray moved away to make some coffee.

"Relax, already. I'm only messing with you. You can identify however you want, it doesn't make a difference to me. It just means I'll have to tailor my innuendoes from now on." An evil grin snuck across his face as he set his brain on task-

"One phallic joke out of you and I'll booby-trap your bed." Egon said archly.

"Heh, you said 'booby'." Peter snickered, then raised an eyebrow "also, sounds kinky."

"I hate you." Egon groaned, but Peter just shrugged, it was like water off a ducks back to him. Egon sighed, unsure what else to say as Peter swanned past him. He was surprised however, when Venkman lightly patted his shoulder as he walked by, making Egon blink. It was rare, but he was sure Venkman was being sincere. Beneath the tasteless jokes and rude scenarios anyway…

Eugene came over to join him, studying Egon's expression. Beneath its stoic facade, he could see a lot going on.

"You alright, Eeg?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Egon replied "this morning has simply defied several expected outcomes I had placed at the top of the list, should Peter find out."

"I'm assuming they all comprised of merciless innuendoes and hyperbole?" Eugene guessed.

"Mostly, yes. Worst case scenario..." Egon trailed off, not wanting to say he truly thought his friend would turn malicious. Sometimes Peter could be very abrasive and blunt, seeming not to care what anyone thought of him, and it made him hard to read or anticipate.

Eugene seemed to read this on his face and cast a quick glance at Venkman, who was joining Ray at the counter for some coffee. Ray was smiling and describing something to him and Eugene seen Peter smile wryly, one eyebrow raised.

He looked back at Egon, his eyes catching Spengler's "well, if it's any consolation, he seems pretty chill about it. You said he's a boundless flirt, maybe the whole 'sex' thing doesn't bother him that much? He goes out drinking a lot, so he's probably seen it all before, if he's ever been to a club!"

"That _DOES_ make sense." Egon breathed a sigh of relief at having some evidence to go off. Peter's social nightlife WAS pretty expansive and varied if you went by his tall tales at breakfast. He managed a small smile at Eugene now, seeing relief in his friend's eyes.

"Thanks, Eugene." he said gratefully and Eugene beamed, tucking a stray lock of hair behind Egon's ear. Part of him hoped Egon would keep his hair down that day, it looked cute-

Egon had never factored in public displays of affection, it'd never entered the equation. Suddenly he had a whole lot more questions- and he **REALLY** wanted to make that chart.

The klaxon went off then, startling them all out of their skin and Peter once again called whoever was the source of it something uncouth that made Alessa stare in surprise at him.

"He uh...tends to be rather vulgar when caught off guard." Ray apologised, but she just smiled. He realised they hadn't asked what her plans were, was she planning on staying or had she just dropped by?

But there was no time for that, they heard Janine yelling up from below and she'd clearly just arrived, going by her harried voice. The phone must've still been on the machine- Ray winced guiltily when he recalled that he'd been on his way to check it, but then he'd encountered a distressed Peter and any thoughts of work had fled the scene in favour of comforting his lover.

* * *

Soon, it was just Eugene and the ghost alone in the kitchen as they heard the Ectomobile speed away, its sirens on maximum.

"Would you mind if I asked you some questions?" Alessa asked and Eugene shrugged, smiling affably.

"Sure, why not. What do you have in mind?"


	6. Just You And Me

Egon was glad to throw himself back into his work again, the whole morning had been a mixed batch of emotions. Waking up beside Eugene, Ray casting a kind look that seemed to say he understood what was going on and didn't mind one bit and Peter's oddly accepting teasing. That was it- in a flare of realisation, the answer was clear; Venkman was the odd part out. He wasn't normally **THIS** lenient with his jibes, more than once Winston had threatened to punch him because the man simply could **NOT** control his mouth or his brain.

So what was different this time? Was it because Ray had stepped in?

Ray was a natural peacemaker, always looking for a nicer alternative and thus this wasn't his first rodeo with regards to keeping his associates from killing each other.

He glanced aside at Peter now, seeing he seemed back to his at-ease self, idly humming some song or another, probably one with lyrics that'd give a PTA a heart attack.

He eventually assumed Peter was just in a good mood because whatever had been dragging him down the last week or so had finally cleared. He recalled how distant and distracted Peter had been, but this morning he seemed more like his old self, cocky and self assured but less acidic.

"Is there any reason you're staring at me?"

Egon jolted in his seat, vision refocusing in time to clock Peter glaring at him as they paused at a red light.

"I wasn't staring at anything. I was merely considering how Alessa has survived all these years, if it has anything to do with Ray's EMF theory- The scenery outside the window was simply serving as a focal point."

"Yadda yadda, science jargon, got it. Well, you were kind of starting to freak me out, you don't even _BLINK_ when you do that, y'know?" Peter shivered, shaking his head as he put the pedal to the metal and they tore off again.

Egon sighed internally, that'd been too close. He hadn't realised he was analysing Peter quite so studiously, but something just needled at his brain about the man's responses compared to previous incidents. Eventually he dismissed it as anxiety over the whole "everyone knows now." thing.

* * *

He was paired with Winston again once they arrived at Central park, following the direction the NYPD officer had sent over. They headed one way while Peter shot off in another, with Ray in hot pursuit. That struck him as odd in addition; Peter Venkman, smug gloater supreme, passing up the chance to tease any small detail out of Egon?

—Stop it. You're being paranoid!— he lectured himself, but part of him still made a mental note to keep tabs on Peter.

"Hay man, you ok?" Winston's voice burst into Egon's bubble of doubt and the genius doctor blinked owlishly at him from behind his glasses. They'd been walking in silence for several minutes now, not that he'd really noticed the time passing.

"It's rare for you to be off your game, you feeling all right?" Winston studied how oddly drawn Egon looked and had a feeling he knew the cause "look, just ignore Pete, you how he is-"

"It's not that! Well, not precisely-" Egon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, then dropped his hand and shook his head before hurrying on ahead "it's nothing."

Winston sighed, he'd come so close to putting Spengler's mind at ease.

Egon was clearly unhappy, no doubt he hadn't planned for the truth to be revealed so soon. Winston had walked into the kitchen in time to see Peter, Egon and Eugene gathered around a talkative pink ghost. He'd been surprised, but hadn't gone for his proton pack like Peter had. After a millisecond-long hesitation, Egon had filled him in in his usual abrupt manner, stating she'd (the ghost) followed a certain type of bond to arrive here.

That was his first clue; Egon **NEVER** hesitated. He was a very pragmatic man, refusing to waste time on sentimental hesitations. So that brief moment where he'd frozen up raised a red flag, so to speak. Next was a glance at Venkman and Ray. Peter looked like a cheshire cat, a sly grin on his face like he **KNEW** something. Ray, oddly, was just watching Peter, as if expecting him to do something and he was internally making preparations to intercept/diffuse it.

Alessa had brightly introduced herself to Winston then, who was happy to meet a ghost with actual manners! As Alessa had been delighting over all the marvels in this homestead, Winston had glanced at Egon out of the corner of his eye, seeing how close he stood to Eugene. He seen a brief glimpse of movement, that of Eugene's hand lightly brushing Egon's wrist, attracting his attention as he asked him a question, brow slightly furrowed in concern. Winston connected the dots, put that together with those days Egon and Eugene had vanished off together, coupled it with the odd expressions on Pete and Raymond and correctly deduced Eugene had a thing for Spengler. Most unusual was Egon so readily accepting it, for as long as Winston had known him the man had never entered into any kind of relationship, it just didn't seem to appeal to him.

Winston was a little surprised, but nowadays attitudes were changing and this kind of thing just **WAS**. Some folks were still a little hostile to the idea, but others were more supportive, saying it was what it was and the world would keep on turning.

But from the scene that morning, he'd had a good feeling about this Eugene guy. He was a straightforward and honest sort of fella, which Winston could respect, qualities like that were encouraged in the marines.

"Egon." he said firmly now as Egon kept striding ahead, his long legs carrying him along at quite a pace "slow down will ya!"

"I can't, the reading is coming from this way-!" Egon blurted, staring at his PKE meter and paying little attention to the ground beneath him as they ventured through central park.

"Egon, look out-" Winston tried to warn him, tried to catch up to him- but he was too far behind. So he could only watch as Egon's boot got snagged in a gnarled tree root buried beneath a pile of twigs and leaves.

Egon yelped in pain as his ankle twisted painfully and he was slammed into the ground, pinned beneath his proton pack. Winston covered the distance between them and knelt down, freeing his foot from the root and helping the man sit up.

"Ah-!" Egon paled a little at the initial surge of pain.

"Hold still and I'll check it. Marine medics training; about time I used it." Winston said dryly and Egon nodded.

Egon winced as Winston undid and removed the heavy-duty work boot he wore, along with perfectly starched grey sock, so he could examine the skin beneath. It was a mass of purple bruising and already felt like it was swelling up.

"Ouch man, it looks rough, but I don't think you'll be laid up for long. Keep the weight off it and it'll heal in no time."

Egon nodded, thanking his friend as he re-buckled his boot, accepting the help to get to his feet. He grabbed a tree branch from the ground, using a pocket knife he kept handy to make a makeshift walking stick.

"Ingenious." Winston nodded his approval "you'd be great in the training camps, you got survival training in the bag."

Egon managed a faint smile, saying he hadn't thought of that.

"Listen man," Winston said as they set off, Egon handing him the PKE meter since walking and handling it was proving exasperating "you can relax."

"About what? The ghost? That would be inefficient, Winston, also dangerous."

"You know what I mean, man." Winston said sternly and Egon felt his stomach flop again, those butterflies from before had become something heavier now...beetles, perhaps?

"I don't." He said quietly, yet knowing he was doomed. Winston was far more intuitive than most, you couldn't pull one past him, as Peter phrased it.

"I know Peter kind of went too far, I'm guessing he found out first?"

"Yes. Well, Ray...he just smiled at me, so I'm certain he knew also. But Peter was the first to say anything."

"That guy has all the tact of a nuclear bomb. Don't take him too seriously, remember how he teased _ME_ when I accidentally let slip about Tiyah?"

Egon made a confirming noise, he did indeed recall Venkman's parade of jokes, but he still found himself staring intently at the ground and avoiding his friend's gaze as he mused about how he felt.

"Peter was…." Egon sighed at last "he's an ass, but I don't think his intentions were quite so juvenile this time, Winston."

He described the passing pat on the shoulder, a gesture he hadn't expected. Venkman rarely showed that kind of unspoken camaraderie, so he'd refrained from shouting at him after that.

"It's cool, man." Winston caught up to him again, setting a hand on his shoulder. He could see how this was affecting Egon, placing a strain on his bony shoulders "it's not my ballgame, but I say it's better to spread love than hate, y'know?"

Egon studied his expression, then seemed to accept the truth in Winston's words and nodded silently.

"If Pete gives you any more crap, just remind him that at least _YOU_ were able to pick someone and stick with them. That'll shut him up."

Egon chuckled dryly, Peter was totally shameless, wasn't he?

"See, relax. Just enjoy it, I got the feeling that guy really cares about you, Egon. He's a good sort."

"Yes, he is." Egon smiled faintly, it felt strange to be sharing this kind of secret "I was relieved when that reaper accepted the trade."

"Hey that reminds me, what _WAS_ that thingy you gave it-"

Egon opened his mouth to detail the amulet and its exact origins, but Winston's question went unanswered as they heard a loud, nails-on-a-chalkboard screech.

"They're heeree..." Egon said in the aftermath, both of them reaching for the neutron guns as three blurs of ectoplasm tore out of the trees ahead of them.

* * *

Winston distracted the three spooks as best he could, giving Egon a clear shot from where he'd braced himself against a tree, avoiding leaning on his twisted ankle. One of the ghosts caught wise to their scheme however and dove for Egon, who threw himself aside with a curse. He hit the dirt with a thump and shuffled back, hand groping for the gun-

The ghost's claws swiped at his face, causing him to utter a strangled cry and backpedal frantically, sharp stones digging into the palms of his hands. Then he seen the ghost's expression flicker- turning much more chillingly feral.

Footsteps pounded in from behind him and he heard someone yelling a war cry as a proton beam ripped through the air above him. Egon seen Venkman's familiar face as the Ghostbuster conducted a full-on attack on the spook.

Hands suddenly propped his shoulders up, helping him to his feet. Egon wiped sweat from his eyes in time to see Ray's worried face as he released him to stand on his own.

"You OK?" Ray asked and Egon nodded.

"Fine, thank you Ray. My ankle is sprained, thus my movement is unfortunately hampered." He stated this as he seen Peter joining Winston in firing on the ghosts. Something was off, but he was more rattled then he'd let on to Ray; thus the notion was eluding him.

The ghost swiped at Peter, grabbing a chunk of Venkman's hair and yanking on it **HARD**. Peter screamed some obscenities, giving it a short blast with the proton beam that left him seeing stars and with his ears ringing, but at least it drove the ghost off. Rubbing his sore scalp, he advanced on the spectre now, snarling under his breath.

Hearing Peter's cry of pain, Egon seen Ray go tense, reaching for his proton pack and glancing at Egon-

"Go." Egon nodded at the third ghost as it tore free from the stream Winston had had it snared in. Peter was swiping desperately at the other two, firing increasingly frequent bursts to keep them at bay. "They need your help. I'll handle the traps."

Ray smiled and unhitched his trap from his belt and pressed it into Egon's outstretched hand before he charged head-on into the fray.

* * *

Finally, the group were able to pack the ghosts into the traps and a peaceful silence fell over the park once again.

"Finally!" Peter grunted irritably as he dusted ectoplasm off his jumpsuit "can we go for lunch now?"

"Yeah," Ray agreed absently "I'm getting pretty hungry."

With a shrug, the other two agreed, food was always welcome.

* * *

Eugene was pleased to see Egon return, although a little concerned when he seen him limping. Winston urged Spengler to rest, keep weight off his ankle for a day or two.

Ray and Peter went downstairs to empty the traps while Winston fetched the first aid kit. Peter's scalp still ached from the ghost's attack, but he knew little could be done and he'd just have to wait for it to settle down on its own.

"That was a tough one..." Ray sighed "it's rare we see so many working in cahoots. Egon said one tried to claw his face off!"

"Mmm..." Peter agreed idly- but his mind was busy going at 100mph. Who'd have thought Spengler would; a)like dudes and b) actually do the deed without giving his partner a chart or a test first?

The mental image kind of made him chuckle and he felt Ray's glance settle on him like a laser beam. The spot between his shoulder blades itched and he giggled.

"What's on your mind?" Ray asked slowly, part concerned and part suspicious.

"Nothing, really." Peter joked as he took the traps from Ray and emptied them into the unit.

"So many jokes, so little time." Ray said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oi." Peter snorted as he set the last empty trap aside. "All right smart-arse, I was betting myself on wether Egon's gonna have Eugene over a lot more now, what with his 'study' sessions on catching Eugene up on the world."

"Peter." Ray said sternly, hands on his hips "be nice."

Peter rolled his eyes in mock outrage, pressing a hand to his heart as if wounded "I AM, I'm not taking any photos! I can't help it, seeing Egon trying to quantify romance is just _TOO_ amusing-I have to see if he draws a chart, he loves charts-"

Ray glanced around them as Peter spoke, then closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds, pinning Peter lightly against the containment unit and snaring his lips in a light kiss. Peter's sentence ended with a surprised noise, but he didn't stop Ray.

"Raymond-"

Ray kissed him a second time when he made to talk, and for a second time Peter's words ended in a soft moan.

"Mmm….are you trying to distract me, Raymond?" Peter said curiously as he was let go at last, after the third kiss. His hands were resting on Ray's waist, fingers toying with his belt loops and his forehead resting against his partner's.

"Will it take your mind off teasing Spengs?" Ray asked cutely, pressing his body against Peter's, hands resting either side of the man's chest with palms flat against the containment unit. His heart was racing, he'd never tried flirting like this before and he was enjoying it immensely.

"Hmm. Let me think…" Peter's lips brushed Ray's teasingly as he breathed in the scent of Ray's skin. He uttered a louder groan as Ray kissed him again, this time much more fiercely, one hand slipping round to Peter's neck and rubbing slow, caressing circles at the base of it.

Peter promptly forgot about the question at hand and instead indulged in Ray's affections, running his tongue along Ray's lips and groaning eagerly when Stantz parted them. Damn, he tasted good…

At last Peter let him go, rubbing his thumb along Ray's lower lip and smiling at how plumped up it was from his kiss. Stantz's hopeful brown eyes fixed on his and Peter decided to reward the cute little Ghostbuster for being so...bold.

"Mmm, very well." He purred, seeing Ray blush softly "since you put it so persuasively."

Ray smiled then, a cute and innocent smile that made Peter want to tow him straight to bed-

But he told himself to tone it down and settled for a final kiss coupled with a surreptitiously quick feel-up of Ray's behind. Ray squeaked, jumping slightly and pressing further into Peter's embrace. His face turned even redder, but Peter just grinned and winked at him.

-Oh boy.- Ray thought dizzily as Peter let him go and he self-consciously straightened his belt – I wish I was that fearless.-

Peter meanwhile, was thinking something much different, namely how tempting Ray was when he did something that innocent and sweet.

* * *

They returned upstairs to where Egon was lying on one of the couches in the kitchen with his ankle propped up on a pillow, an ice pack resting atop of it.

"You feeling better?" Ray asked and Egon nodded.

"Winston says it is not that serious, at most I shall need this evening off to recover. As much as it pains me to remain here, it is the most efficient method."

Peter's eyes moved to Eugene, who was perched on the arm of the couch and reading one of Winston's training manuals with obvious curiosity.

"Uh huh, pains y-"

He felt Ray's hand jab at the base of his spine and cut off, twitching slightly. Right. His promise.

"You OK, Pete?" Winston asked when Peter suddenly quit mid-joke.

"Bah, back hurts. I'm fine. I need a drink." Peter recovered his composure and yawned lazily, strolling over to the coffee pot. Ray blinked at his departure, apparently nonplussed as far as Eugene could read, then turned his attention to Egon.

"Well, don't worry about it. Peter, Winston and I can handle this."

Egon managed a grateful smile for a moment, then his serious front dropped back into place and he sighed softly, glowering at his injured ankle.

The others were soon called away, Peter pausing as if to say something as he reached the stairs, then he just shrugged and waved goodbye, sliding down the bannister with a whoop.

This was followed instantly up with a loud yelp and a thud.

"Did something happen?" Egon called. Silence rang for a second, then:

"I'm fine, I landed on Ray!" Peter called, followed by an 'oof', which the other two assumed was Ray elbowing him or something.

"Come on you two, we don't have time to goof off." Winston responded with a weary sigh.

Peter blew a raspberry by the sound of it and then the two on the couch heard the car doors slam as it drove away.

* * *

"Idiots." They heard Janine remark in the silence and Eugene giggled softly, making Egon glance up at him.

"Your friends are a riot," Eugene laughed "way more fun than the guys I hung out with, excluding geniuses of course."

Egon smiled wryly, feeling his heart thud happily as Eugene gently settled down on the couch, thier faces inches apart. He kissed Egon gently, one hand coming to rest on the man's thigh. Egon smiled, expression softening as they parted.

"Mind if I keep you company?" Eugene murmured hopefully.

"I'd like that." Egon responded softly, earning another kiss in gratitude. They stayed that way awhile, just talking about this and that and other random topics. Then, Egon expressed a desire to go to his office, so Eugene gently scooped him up in his arms as he attempted to get to his feet, much to his surprise.

"Eugene?!" Egon felt himself flush, but whilst very much an unexpected gesture, it wasn't unwanted.

"You're supposed to keep your weight off it, right? I'm helping!" Eugene protested Egon's questioning look, which made Egon crack a smile. Eugene carried him gently, setting him down on the bed they'd been cuddling in just that morning.

Eugene smiled, as if reading Egon's mind. "You looked so cute last night, Eeg. I'd spend any amount of time in limbo to have you to myself again."

"There is no need for drastic measures," Egon assured him, frowning a little "really, all you need do is ask."

Eugene flushed, but inside he was grinning ear-to-ear. He nuzzled Egon's neck, hearing Spengler sigh happily, his arms wrapping loosely around Eugene's shoulders.

"Now, tell me what you need and I'll grab it for you." Eugene smiled down at his little patient, seeing Egon pause to think before gesturing at one of the shelves lining the wall.

Egon watched Eugene as the other bustled around, grabbing both the books requested and some cushions to prop under Egon's ankle.

Once that was done, Eugene settled himself beside Egon, nudging the doctor so he was resting his weight against Eugene's shoulder. Egon settled into his book, aware of Eugene perusing a history tome he'd grabbed from the same shelf. The warmth and closeness of him lulled Egon into a state of relaxation he'd hadn't accomplished in many years.

He began to grow drowsy, setting his book down in his lap and yawning faintly. Eugene's arm curved around him, supporting his back as he kissed Egon's forehead.

"Sleep." He suggested and Egon was too relaxed to object, just settled against Eugene's warm, firm chest and closed his eyes, letting the world dissolve into just the two of them.

He fell asleep faster than he calculated, awaking some time later to feel Eugene's warm embrace still surrounding him. He blinked sleepily, resting a hand on Eugene's chest to support him as he lifted his upper body to catch his partner's eye.

"Hey, Eeg." Eugene had all but finished his book, but happily closed it so as to have both hands free to hold Egon fully. His other hand settled on Egon's back, massaging it gently.

"Was I asleep long?" Egon asked, he couldn't see the wall clock from here.

"Eh, about an hour or so?" Eugene guessed and Egon's eyes widened.

"Why didn't you say something?" he asked, frowning "it cannot have been comfortable for you, sitting this way that whole time AND my resting on you."

"Heh, I'm in pretty good shape, Eeg, it wont do any harm."

"I'm not arguing that, the evidence is clear." Egon stated, then realised that sounded a bit inappropriate. But before he could facepalm at how ludicrous he'd sounded, even if it **WAS** the truth, Eugene pulled him close and kissed him on the lips, cutting off his remonstrations.

"Too cute, Eeg." Eugene chuckled as he let him go, eyes gleaming contentedly "don't ever change, you're amazing."

Egon didn't fully understand, but those were the same words Eugene had said back when he thought he was going to be taken away for good by the reaper.

He attempted to shift his position so he could be level with Eugene, but with his ankle still aching, the effort was hampered and he slipped, collapsing against his friend's chest, one hand bracing itself on the bed. Or so he thought.

"Whhoa...e-easy there, don't want you hurting yourself." Eugene said hurriedly, but Egon heard the sudden hitch in his voice and looked up at him now.

"I'm sorry, was I being too intrusive?" He asked, but Eugene quickly shook his head. **TOO** quickly.

"Then what is wrong?" Egon asked, leaning forward to examine his friends expression.

'Y-your hand Eeg, not gonna lie…it's very warm."

"Huh?" Egon blinked, then felt a surge of mortification when he realised that in his efforts to balance, his hand hadn't come to rest on the BED; but Eugene's upper thigh, dangerously close to his groin. He yelped and sat back, tucking his uninjured leg under him and angling the other as best he could without leaning on it. He clutched his hand tightly in the other, as if it was a pair of sharp scissors he didn't trust himself to set down.

-Idiot.- he chided himself, feeling an overwhelming sense of being totally lost suddenly come crashing down. He wasn't learning very fast, was he?

A soft hand brushed his cheek, making him open his eyes. Eugene was smiling and this only made him feel worse as he stared down at his bandaged ankle, picking at the loose threads of bandage.

"My apologies, I need to research boundaries, I'll-"

"EEG." Eugene sounded stern and Egon blinked, his rambling stopped mid-word.

"Use that big brain of yours and answer this; at which point did I say I _DIDN'T_ like it?"

Egon blinked, fumbling with the data he had " Well, you didn't." he said at last, not sure that he understood.

"Exactly!" Eugene grinned, then held his arms open to the flustered Egon "c'mere you."

Egon chuckled faintly, amazed at how easygoing Eugene was. He never sounded like he was scolding Egon, he always smiled so…

He scooted back up close to Eugene now, feeling those reassuringly strong arms wrap firmly around him.

"Then, you were not uncomfortable?" he asked, seeking clarification "you sounded startled."

"Your hand was one step shy of being in my pants, Eeg. It was pretty hot."

Again that description, it made Egon smile faintly.

"As for why I sounded surprised? Hand-on-crotch is kinda hard to ignore. Nudge nudge, wink wink…" he trailed off, looking to Egon to finish the statement.

"-Shameless innuendo?" Egon flashed back to that very morning and Eugene laughed softly, nodding.

"See? You're learning!"

Egon chuckled, buying himself a moment to think by kissing Eugene gently. Eugene groaned happily, deepening the kiss with no hesitation, Egon was just so tempting…

The way Eugene looked at him as they parted, it sent a tantalising shiver up Egon's back. They might've begun another round, somehow working around Egon's injured ankle; but then they heard the Ectomobile arrive home, followed by the distant voices of the other Ghostbusters.

Eugene sighed regretfully, but kissed Egon as compensation, there'd be other nights…

So he helped Egon stand, letting him go on ahead while he nipped to the bathroom. Egon limped tentatively down the stairs, but the swelling already felt less bothersome.

* * *

Egon perched himself atop a chair, listening to the other three describe the encounter they'd just dealt with. Peter seemed a bit tired, he had a bruise on his jaw and didn't seem to want to talk about the days work. When dinner arrived, he surprised them all by shaking his head and saying he was going to lie down.

Ray seemed concerned, but then, Ray always was when it came to his friends. After dinner he disappeared, saying he was going to do some work in his office. Nobody really paid it much heed, Ray wasn't one to hide things, not as far as they knew…

* * *

Ray detoured to the bedroom, finding Peter curled up on the bed he called his own. He sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing Peter's back gently.

"Hay.." Peter said heavily, not needing to look to know who was keeping him company.

"You sure you don't want me to call a doctor? That thing punched you in the gut pretty hard- you were sick; twice! I know the paramedic checked you over, said there's no internal bleeding- but maybe we should follow his advice and-"

"I-I'm fine Ray, really. I just feel tired..." Peter did sound pretty drowsy to Ray's ears. He remained there a few minutes more, gently rubbing Peter's back until he fell asleep then he went to his office, but found it hard to concentrate. There was no doubt about it now, the ghosts they were encountering were becoming so much more violent. He needed to speak to Egon.

* * *

He encountered Spengler just as he was returning from the lobby. They met on the stairs and Ray seen the faintest glimpse of a smile on Egon's lips. He radiated a subtle happiness, Ray thought, and it suited him.

"Eugene gone home?" Ray asked, not seeing or hearing him anywhere. Egon nodded, saying he had work to do at his fathers place, so needed to get home. Ray smiled at Egon, seeing some of the doctors unease fade, he seemed more relaxed after the tension of that morning.

He asked Egon if he could share his data regarding the aggressive ghosts with him and Egon nodded, motioning Ray to follow him to his lab. There, they compiled everything they had noticed and Egon began cross-referencing the readings. Seeing Ray looking a little tired, Egon flashed back to Ray's concern for Peter along with the man in questions withdrawn state.

"What happened on the bust? Venkman was acting odd. It is unlike him to turn down food." He studied Ray as the man yawned, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palms.

"The ghost- it was strange, Egon. It was ranting and raving, saying things like 'the cycle must close' and 'can't it end?'"

Egon stared, looking genuinely perturbed.

"I tried to tell Winston what I heard, but that was when Peter got too close and it lashed out at him. It tried to beat him unconscious, Egon! Luckily we managed to corral it pretty fast, but it'd delivered some pretty painful blows by then. He said he was fine, but after he ran off to throw up a second time- we found a paramedic and he checked Peter over. He said he'd be in pain for a while, but otherwise he's fine. On the ride home, Peter insist we drop the issue."

"That's why he didn't say anything, why he wouldn't eat." Egon nodded.

Ray stared at the results they had so far "something weird is going on, I know it's cliche-"

"No, I agree. It doesn't make sense. Before you and Peter intervened in the park, the ghost that was targeting me seemed intent on tearing me apart. We need to figure out whats making them so aggressive."

Ray nodded, relieved that he wasn't alone in his suspicions. He could always count on Egon to pick up on such things too.

* * *

When they all retired to bed, Peter was still asleep, but Egon couldn't help recalling Ray's tale about the violent ghost that'd tried to lynch Venkman.

Perhaps had he known about the hair-pulling thing, Egon would have realised it sooner, but Peter's reluctance to trust his closest friends was putting him in danger even as he slept…

* * *

The next day Peter was up early, to Janine's total shock when she walked in and encountered him just settling down at the desk behind her station, a cup of coffee in hand.

He seemed oddly subdued, she noticed, but figured he hadn't slept well after the rough bust the day prior. He was quiet enough that she very nearly forgot he was even there, until the mail came. Sorting through it, she seen one of the envelopes bore Venkman's name. She set it on the table before him, seeing him jolt slightly like she'd startled him. Something was wrong with him, wasn't there?

"If you're getting sick, keep it away from me." she said pointedly "and call a damn doctor!"

"I _AM_ a doctor."

"A medical one, moose-brain." She shot back and Peter just snorted, either amused or not caring. Left alone, he slid open the envelope, seeing his surname written in bold letters on the front of it. His sleepy mind piped up the writing looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it.

Inside was a note, folded neatly in half. Opening it up he stared at the short missive contained within.

 ** _"Might I have you to myself tonight, dear doctor?"_**

It was from Ivan.

Peter swallowed uneasily, recalling the moment he'd realised how little the affair had meant to Ivan. It wouldn't have been so clear had he not started developing desires for Ray.

He sighed heavily, pushing up from his desk. Striding past Janine's desk he said he was going out, he had an urgent matter to attend to. She stared blankly at him and shrugged as he left, merely scribbling a note on her pad.

* * *

Peter drifted along in a daze, a jacket shrugged on over his uniform once again. This brought back uncomfortable parallels with that last night he'd spent with Ivan and he felt vaguely sick. But he couldn't imagine turning his back on Ray, not after that night. Ray had refused to abandon him, even after seeing what a mess Peter Venkman was beneath the facade.

-Thank you, Ray.- he thought, taking a deep breath as he stood in front of the club door. Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door was yanked open and Peter stepped sharply back, suppressing some rather choice swearwords.

"I know you." The woman at the door was dressed like one of the cleaning staff "you're the Ghostbuster the boss was telling us about."

"What's he been telling you?" Peter said, barely managing to keep his voice uninterested.

She giggled, opening the door for him "about you and your friends, mostly stories you told him. Is it true you streaked through your HQ on a dare?"

Peter face-palmed, starting to laugh despite himself. That **WAS** one of his best memories.

"Yeah and it was worth it, everyone's faces...priceless!"

She seemed amused, beckoning him to follow her, where she unlocked the door leading up to Ivans office. As he made to go, she grabbed his sleeve, whispering softly.

"Take care." then she was gone. Peter blinked, wondering what she meant? Take care of...what?

He ascended the stairs, taking a deep breath before knocking on the door. He heard Ivan's voice and hesitantly pushed the door open.

Ivan turned in his chair as the door clicked open then shut. On hearing no vocal response, he looked up.

"Doctor." he said smarmily to the familiar figure; so Venkman had gotten his note? For him to come over so fast, he must have missed their screwing-

That was when he noticed a few things about Venkman. One; he looked very pale under the bright lights of the room, two; there was a bruise on his jaw and three; he looked exhausted. Ivan frowned, crossing the room to pull Venkman into his arms, but Venkman raised a hand, keeping himself from being held.

"Doctor?" Ivan asked again, and inwardly, Peter felt his stomach churn again. Even now, he couldn't, nay **WOULDN'T** call him by name.

"I can't." he said softly now.

"Are you hurt, doctor?" Ivan said, seeing Peter flinch slightly.

"No, I mean I cant do _THIS_...us." Peter shook his head "right now I...i cant, I need a break from this lifestyle."

Ivan stared at him a moment, he'd never seen Venkman like this, the man wasn't known for his moral compass as far as he knew, so what had rattled him so?

"My associate hasn't been threatening you, has he?" he asked now.

"What? No!" Peter shook his head, forcing a watery smile "I just...i cant do this. I'm sorry."

Ivan stared at him a moment longer, then nodded. Peter looked relieved, some of the tension leeching from his body.

"I don't suppose theres anything I can say to change your mind?"

Ivan asked but Peter shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I need time. I've been playing fast and loose with my life for too long, something has to change."

He could see Ivan looked a mix of things, part polite acceptance, part disappointment. After a few seconds of awkward silence, he finally nodded.

"I wont lie, I'll miss your warmth in my bed, but above all you should take care of yourself, doctor, for I hate to see you looking so under the weather. You can always come back anytime."

Peter felt a strange conflict between this version of Ivan and the one who had seduced him for the thrill of getting him out of his uniform, who never called him by name. He nodded dismally, turning back to the door and fumbling for the doorknob, but his hands were too unsteady and they slipped from the metal surface.

"Here." Ivan leaned past him to open it and when Peter looked up, he snared one last, final kiss from him.

-You'll be back with me soon enough, doctor.- Ivan thought with a smug self assurance as he seen Venkman falter, but then his resolve returned and he muttered a final farewell before darting away.

Had Peter looked back as he stumbled down the stairs, he'd have seen a curious look in Ivan's eyes. Almost as if he suspected something..

* * *

But Peter was barely able to concentrate, somehow keeping from bolting as he crossed the empty club and shoved the door open. Outside in the street, he made it just a few blocks before he was forced to duck into an empty alleyway to throw up. Making sure he didn't look a complete mess, he stumbled back out of the alleyway. What was wrong with him? But he knew it was the memory of the last time he'd been there, contrasted against the moments of happiness with Ray. What had once been his normal world had become awkward after he'd realised better things were within his reach.

He fumbled in his pockets, hoping he kept some gum in there and while he didn't find any, he came across the note he'd received that morning. Seeing it made him feel sick **AGAIN** , so he threw it in the trash as he staggered along. He stood at an intersection, head pounding softly. He incorrectly thought he heard the signal to go and almost in a daze stepped forward- Somewhere close by he heard a loud screech, then the ground rushed up to meet him and everything went black.

* * *

He awoke in the back of an ambulance, with two concerned paramedics who had a **LOT** of questions. They asked him for a contact to come collect him and initially Peter refused, just asking to be released, but they said they couldn't comply; with him in this condition. They were concerned he may faint again and requested he rest awhile at the hospital if he would not provide a contact number. So finally, he gave them Ray's cell number.

He drifted asleep awhile after that, waking to feeling someone's hand on his shoulder. Opening his eyes, he blinked blearily up at Ray's worried face.

"Peter? What happened? The doctor said you collapsed in front of an ambulance at an intersection!"

"I...I don't know, I just felt dizzy. Please Ray, c-can we just go?" Peter asked, he didn't want to explain the whole thing here.

Ray looked worried, but he nodded and fetched the doctor. They left soon after, Ray carrying a paper bag containing some supplements and medicines the doctor had recommended for Peter.

* * *

He drove Peter back to the station, but as they approached, Peter asked something of Ray that made his heart sink.

"Please Ray, don't let the others know about this."

"Peter?" Ray abruptly pulled over, just a few blocks from their HQ. He turned to look at Peter now, seeing how haunted the man looked.

"I just...they don't need to hear about me fainting. The doc said it was just low blood sugar."

Ray nodded, he could both understand, yet he was still concerned."What happened, please tell me."

When Peter didn't answer, Ray sighed and gently brushed his fingers across the back of Peter's hand. "I wont tell the others, I promise. But I'm worried about you."

This softened Peter's resistance, those were the same words Ray had said after he'd seen the marks on Peter's neck. So Peter told him the whole story, about the note and his trip to break up with Ivan.

He found himself detailing the parallels to the morning he'd realised Ivan's real interest in him, just as a screw-toy basically.

Ray listened, nodding as this lined up with Peter's unsettled state that night they'd made love.

"What else can I say, Raymond?" Peter said at last, feeling less burdened having spilled the whole tale to Raymond. He knew Ray, trusted him...felt a whole LOT for him, in fact. If he had to tell someone, he'd rather it be him.

"I messed up. I told you this way of living is dangerous, you can just get lost in it. But then, I knew that."

"It's OK," Ray said, sounding far stronger then he felt "it's over and done with now. You probably just pushed yourself too hard after the park incident, then stressed yourself out going to see that creep, I don't blame you for feeling bad. It's probably what made you get sick, too much too fast. Try to take it easy, OK?"

Peter blinked at him in surprise, but he could see the logic in Ray's reassurances. So he nodded, and Ray smiled, opening the glove box and retrieving a candy bar.

"At least eat this, I always do when I need some energy."

Peter felt himself smile, Ray's little act of kindness helping dull the memories of the break-up he'd essentially just gone through. In hindsight, he realised he should've been more careful after the run-in with that ghost.

By the time they pulled in to the HQ, he was feeling a lot better. Between the medicines the hospital had given him and the effect of Ray's affections, he felt more or less back to normal. The thought that the Ivan thing was over now was certainly a load off, one he realised had been weighing on him far more then he'd acknowledged.

* * *

They'd got back just in time for lunch and Egon noted Peter's appetite seemed back to its usual levels. Sadly, so were his efforts to make innuendoes out of **EVERYTHING**. Egon glowered at him after the most recent one, but Ray couldn't help laughing.

"Your mind's been in the gutter so long Pete, it's gotta have earned citizenship by now!" Winston remarked, making Peter grin smugly.

Egon flashed back to Eugene's hammy "shameless innuendo" moments and allowed himself a smile.

"Ahh, he's smiling! Everyone, out of the universe! Haha- eep!" Peter flailed his arms about, then promptly overbalanced and toppled over with a loud thud and a yelp.

"Serves you right." Egon snarked.

"I maintain my previous sentence: hah!" Peter declared stubbornly from his position on the floor, making Egon roll his eyes. Ray helped Peter up, asking was he OK?

"Yeah, I don't think I brained my damage." Peter said idly, making Winston snort into his coffee.

"What brain?" he joked.

"I am not touching that one." Egon retorted and the two shared a high five. Peter just flicked them the bird, eyebrows raised in sarcastic amusement. Ray muffled his laughter behind his hand, he was happy to see Peter back to his normal self.

* * *

The rest of that day was relatively peaceful, with no particularly strange jobs. Well, not strange by their standards anyway; to everyone else it was balls-to-the-wall lunacy, saved by four guys with explosive weaponry.

As they drove home, Ray sat opposite Venkman, fixing a loose connection on his proton pack. Feeling a gaze locked on him, he glanced up and met Peter's relaxed, flirtatious smile with a shy but happy one of his own.

-Dayum.- Peter thought, leaning back against the headrest of the custom fitted seats, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling –I don't think Ray has a clue just how damn cute he is. Can't believe you were a virgin until that night, handsome. How did someone _NOT_ already seduce you?-

Then he reminded himself that Ray had willingly closed himself off from even thinking about that part of himself for many years, as if he'd tried to erase it out of fear or shame. Had he not known what to do? That had to have been rough…

Peter thought about his adoptive parents, he hadn't spoken to them in years. He felt a guilty pang, if he 'came out' to them, wether now or back in his younger years, they likely would have/had a party. They'd always been so easy going, so laid back….

"Peter!"

"Wha?!" Peter jumped, glancing around him as if in a daze. They'd arrived back at HQ, the door was open and Ray was leaning back in, peering at him in concern.

"Sorry, my mind wandered." Peter yawned and slid out of the seat, stretching until he heard his back click. They all drifted their separate ways, to relax, to read, or to study…

* * *

Peter sat awhile on his bed, flicking through a book, then he got bored and went for a wander. Just as he stopped at the entrance to Egon's lab, the doctor, who had his back to him, fumbled with something and a canister dropped to the floor and rolled over, coming to a stop at Peter's boot.

"Please tell me this isn't armed." Peter joked as he strode over to the desk, setting it next to Egon's elbow. He studied the doctor's face, seeing he looked a little drawn.

"You alright? You look pretty beat."

"I'm perfectly fine, Peter." Egon said with a sigh "I'm trying to concentrate on these readings."

"What are you studying, anyway?"

Egon sighed, clearly Venkman was in one of his rare 'I'm actually curious/nosy' moods and decided to humour him.

"Ray and I are investigating the sudden increased aggression of the ghosts we've been encountering of late."

Peter fell silent long enough that Egon actually chanced glancing away from the mass of wiring in his hands to get a look at him. Peter had his arms folded over his chest, but his expression was oddly pensive.

"The one Ray, Winston and I ran into, that one got pretty lairy."

Egon knew but didn't say anything, wanting to hear this from Venkman himself.

"What happened?" he asked, pretending to be absorbed in his work, but now he listened to the tones in Venkman's laid-back, husky voice. Emotion was hidden well in his speech, Egon had learnt that over the years.

"It didn't seem all that weird at first, one minute it's a fairly normal bust, then suddenly the things going full GBA on me. I managed to dodge some of it, but then it hit me in the stomach and knocked me on my ass. If Ray hadn't opened fire, it'd have likely done worse. He and Winston insisted I see a doctor, but the guy said I was fine, no lasting damage, so..." he shrugged non-comittedly.

"Did it say anything?" Egon asked, thinking about Ray's statement.

Peter looked at him funny "The ghost? Not that I could make out beyond the incoherent noises they usually make. It could've been reciting poetry for all I know, I was too focused on trying to stop it tearing into me!"

"Hm."

"That a good 'hm', or a bad one?" Peter queried, seeing Egon rub his chin with one hand and nearly jabbing himself in the eye with the screwdrivers pointy end. Peter grabbed his wrist and diverted it just in time.

"Careful," he said as he let go "Eugene will have kittens if you impale something."

Egon stiffened, instantly turning his body just enough so he was blocking Peter, emotionally speaking.

"I need to concentrate, is there something you need?" He said stiffly. Peter raised an eyebrow, staying silent until Egon finally broke and turned back to face him, an annoyed rant on his lips. Then he seen Peter wasn't wearing a smug smirk as he was expecting. Instead he just looked curious.

"What are you waiting for?" Peter asked now and Egon twitched irritably.

"For the moment the hammer drops. Based on your explosive teasing and amusement when Winston let slip about his girlfriend, this situation should by all evidence leave me up to my eyeballs in crude humour and endless questions. I would rather know in advance how much time I need to devote to telling you to knock it off!"

Peter raised his hands, surprised by the frustration in Egon's voice. It didn't help that the guy was brandishing a screwdriver as he spoke.

"Seriously, I don't care what you or who you sleep with. Like I said at breakfast, you could identify as a pineapple and I wont care. Ohh, you're still in for some crass innuendoes and half-assed euphemisms, but no more then Winston. I admit my standards have dropped as of late due to feeling too damn tired, but I'll be back on track soon."

"Crap." Egon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Peter chuckled, pushing off from the table and delivering one last bit of wisdom as he left.

"Just remember to lock the doors, pull the blinds and bolt the bed to the floor, it minimises the noise-"

"Peter!" Egon yelled, feeling his face turn red in annoyed embarrassment and he looked for something to throw at Venkman-!

Peter laughed, darting out of the room like a manic gremlin. But barely had he gotten two feet then he slammed into Eugene, who blinked at him in surprise. He had his hands behind his back, which meant he'd brought his precious sea cucumber a gift, Peter calculated.

"Oh-!" Eugene startled slightly as the blur of motion revealed itself to be dr Venkman.

"Perfect timing!" Peter grinned, gesturing over his shoulder "Egon needs some serious relief, the poor things _SO_ frustrated-"

"Where are you, Venkman?!" Right on cue, Egon shot out into the corridor, armed with several textbooks primed for throwing.

"Bye!" Peter grinned shamelessly at Eugene then ran off down the hall like roadrunner, complete with a "meep meep!" thrown back over his shoulder. He was very fast, given his oddly lazy disposition and was swiftly out of range before Egon could even line up a shot.

"That man is just..." Egon stamped his foot in annoyance as his target escaped "he's such a child!"

Eugene chuckled, striding up to Egon and kissing his forehead calmly as the genius set the books on a nearby side table.

"Well, I came at the perfect time then. I have something for you!" Eugene handed the box he'd been holding behind his back to Egon now, seeing it blunt the doctor's anger a little as curiosity won out.

Egon opened it and his eyes lit up as he seen some very delicious looking cupcakes inside.

"Theres a bakery near my house, they make everything by hand. It's not a hint by the way, I know I said I'd get cupcakes when we were talking the morning after, but I seriously just thought you'd like something sweet-"

Egon closed the lid and grabbed Eugene's collar, pulling him in for a kiss and cutting him off. His eyes gleamed and Eugene swallowed silently, Egon was so gorgeous when he was like this.

"Come on, let's find some peace and quiet." Egon almost purred, turning and swanning off down the hall. Behind him, Eugene gave a low whistle and shook his head, what had he done right to snare such a gorgeous date?

* * *

He followed after Egon, smiling as the doctor led them to his office. He felt his heart race a little when the doctor locked the door behind him; and he glanced back over his shoulder. Egon smiled, pausing to let his hand brush Eugene's as he headed for his bed "I said "peace and quiet", didn't I? This measure will aid greatly in that endeavour. Especially where Venkman is concerned, so far as I know he can't pick locks."

Eugene grinned, sitting down beside Egon as he set the cake box on his lap and looked expectantly at Eugene.

"Hm? Oh no, those are all for you, I know how much you love your sweets." Eugene shook his head with a smile.

"Yes, but it is more enjoyable to share such a thing with someone else. Eat." Egon said with an air of mock-sternness and Eugene couldn't refuse, smiling goofily and snuggling up to Egon as he took the proffered cake.

They sat in companionable silence, consuming the sugary, delicious treats. Eugene observed Egon licking icing from his fingers, with his eyes closed and promptly felt himself flush. The way Egon's eyelashes contrasted his pale skin, the soft noise of pleasure he made, it was all pretty sexy. Eugene quickly distracted himself by shoving the remainder of the cake in his mouth, making his cheeks puff out like a hamster and getting icing on his face in his haste.

"Nicesh." he remarked as he worked on working through the mouthful.

Egon finished polishing off the icing, opening his eyes again and glancing at Eugene.

"You got some on you there." He said softly, indicating the icing, watching as Eugene succeeded in getting most of it, save for a small smudge on his lip. Egon set the box aside before he'd even considered wether what he was contemplating was appropriate or not. But by the time he brought that thought up, his lips were already brushing Eugene's.

Eugene thought he was going to explode when Egon kissed him, lapping up a stray bit of icing from his lip before leading into a deep kiss. He groaned urgently, wrapping his arms around Spengler as he returned the kiss with equal fervour.

"Eeg.."

Eugene slid his hands under Egon's thighs and guided the scientist onto his lap as they locked lips again, hearing Egon moan softly as he settled himself. They parted for breath at last and Egon adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat.

"Apologies, I wanted to see if the sugar altered the sensation." Egon said softly, feeling his heart racing with the curiosity that had been steadily growing since that first night.

"Don't apologise, hot stuff. Anything else you want to study?" Eugene teased, letting his hands gently trace the shape of Egon's rear, feeling the scientist squirm against his palms.

"Ah-! Yes, but I believe _YOU_ have a theory to test first."

"I do?" Eugene said, wondering if Egon was being serious, or? Egon titled his head to the side, lips pursed slightly in genuine confusion for a moment.

"Did you not postulate that cupcakes might serve as a source of fuel?" he prompted and Eugene wished he could cross his legs again as heat surged from his stomach to lower down. There was **NO** way Egon wasn't noticing this; he was sitting on the evidence, with only Eugene's clothing between it and him.

Egon smiled and Eugene felt himself blush. Oh he **KNEW** alright.

"Don't you want to conduct further tests?" Egon asked, adrenaline hitting in a rush and he heard the lustful tones of his own voice. Truthfully, he'd been hoping for further exposure to this intimacy since the first time, there was so much he wanted to know..

He bit back a sharp gasp as Eugene moved, shifting their positions so Egon was lying on his back on the bed, with his partner looking down at him. The excitement, both emotional and sexual, was a rush and he wanted to learn all there was about it.

The stress he'd felt at the encounter with Peter faded away as Eugene kissed him, his gentle hands unbuttoning Egon's shirt and sliding it down off his shoulders as Egon lifted his body from the bed to nuzzle Eugene's neck. Layer by layer, their clothing was thrown aside and Egon bit his lip, shivering eagerly as Eugene slid his underwear down, felt the fabric brush against his ankles as all that stood between them was dealt with.

He expected Eugene to either begin prepping again or just moving straight onto taking him, but he was surprised when Eugene placed a kiss on the inside of his leg, just past his knee. More kisses followed this, each sending little shocks up Egon's nerves as they moved closer and closer to that intimate spot.

He was unable to refrain from pressing his body into those kisses, arching his back just a little and scrunching the bedsheets once more.

Eugene listened to the fast, breathy moans as he lavished attention upon the doctor's body. The whole sensitivity thing was hot as all get out and he wanted to know each and every sweet spot on Eeg's body. Which meant kissing him head to toe if need be…

He moved on upwards, kissing Egon's stomach and chest, then his collarbone. He could feel the heat of Egon pressing against him as he closed the space between them and kissed Spengler's lips as he caressed his side. From there, his hands slipped down, brushing tantalisingly close to that most intimate spot as he nipped at Egon's ear.

Egon mewled in protest at the teasing, although the way he looked at Eugene as they locked eyes made it very clear he was caught up in the pleasure of it.

"I-is this part of your test?" he asked softly and Eugene kissed him again, letting his hand move down and make a series of quick, firm motions-

"Mmhhh!" Egon's exclamation was lost in the kiss as Eugene's sudden caress made him hit his first peak. He drew several deep breaths as Eugene released his lips, feeling them tingle softly.

"Very good, doctor." Eugene said seductively "now, let's get started, shall we?"

Egon's response was a passionate kiss that said everything at once.

They didn't need to speak after that, with Egon feeling only a brief surge of self-consciousness before Eugene caressed him again, reminding him of that first night. This was just the start…

Time passed in a blur as Egon was treated to two further climaxes at Eugene's hands. He would lavish Egon with kisses, letting his body recover just enough to go another round; first for preparation and then the main act.

The room was filled with their mingled breathing as they came down from the third and final climax, for Egon anyway. He felt Eugene trace a hand across his stomach before sitting back, which woke his curiosity. Opening his eyes, he seen Eugene licking sticky globs of fluid from his hands. He felt himself flush, the scientific part of him asking was this a display of desire? How did **HE** taste?

Again, his body took over, directing him to gather his legs under him, echoes of pleasure running up his spine as he sat before Eugene , snaring the man's hand in both of his and lapping up the last blob of fluid on his fingertips.

-Whoa.- Eugene stared in a mix of surprise and approval as Egon suddenly decided to share in enjoying the spoils of their lovemaking. Egon's eyes fluttered open and he blushed softly.

"Eeg,...wow." Eugene couldn't think of anything suitably sexy to say, what he'd just seen was mind blowing.

"Apologies, I was curious to see what you were experiencing," Egon said, those driven grey eyes fixing on Eugene's "I had not expected I tasted like that."

"You're delicious, my dear Eeg." Eugene murmured, kissing him and nudging him so he was laying back on the bed again. He pulled the covers up over them, wrapping Egon in his arms.

Egon sighed happily, his body entwined with Eugene's as they enjoyed the afterglow of their exertion.

"Feeling OK, Eeg?" Eugene asked, hearing the sigh.

"Indeed." Egon responded "your tests were very thorough, I really must commend your methods."

Eugene blushed at the compliment, it sounded pretty damn cute when spoken in Egon's distinct dialect.

"Anything you want, my precious Eeg." He vowed, kissing the top of Egon's head.

Egon blinked, suddenly pulling back enough to look up at him.

"But what about what _YOU_ want?" he asked "it is unfair to focus solely on me."

"You _ARE_ what I want, Eeg." Eugene teased knowingly "you've seen what you do to me."

Egon smiled, closing his eyes and settling into a sleepy haze as Eugene kissed him on the forehead, his arms encasing Egon's slender body. He drifted asleep, feeling the wild freedom that'd he once more unleashed coursing through his veins like wildfire.

Eugene watched Egon slumber, the fire in the normally composed scientist was simply entrancing. It was as if something had awoken within Egon and now he sought everything he'd missed or denied himself over the years.

* * *

Ray meanwhile was watching TV with Winston, the two of them just relaxing and spacing out. He had heard Peter laughing his ass off earlier, followed by Egon yelling something. Given Eugene had dropped by and gone upstairs to find the aforementioned Egon, he and Zeddemore could only conclude Peter was being…well, Peter, again.

Now, he was absorbed in the film, mind drifting away from the usual chaos of the day.

"What're you boys watching? Don't tell if it's boring." Peter's voice suddenly spoke from right beside Ray's ear and he shrieked, bolting upright on the couch and hearing Winston cursing to his right.

"Geez, Pete!" Winston glared daggers at Venkman, who was causally leaning over the back of the couch, resting his chin on his hands "how do you _DO_ that?!"

"I'm good at sneaking quietly around, years of experience." Peter boasted languidly.

"From what, sneaking out of girls rooms in college?" Winston rolled his eyes and Peter smirked smugly. Ray just blinked and stayed silent, he didn't trust his brain to think too much about Peter and bedrooms.

"Thats a sec-ret~" Peter said in a sing-song voice then dropped back into his natural cadance "I'm going out for pizza, you fancy some?"

"Nah, I'm good." Winston said; but Ray nodded, he was getting kinda peckish now he focused on the idea of food. The movie was almost over so they decided to watch the rest, with Peter vaulting the couch to occupy the space between himself and Winston, which meant Ray didn't really concentrate that much.

* * *

He took a deep lungful of fresh air as he and Peter stepped outside into the late evening air. They walked in companionable silence, Ray enjoying the time alone with Peter and Peter doing the same.

As they stood at a crosswalk, Ray allowed himself to sneak a quick study of Peter out of the corner of his eye. The light gleamed off his unruly hair, highlighting his eyes as he stared idly at the lights, waiting for them to turn. Ray quickly move this gaze back to the lights too; but his heart pounded happily as he recalled the night in the attic.

Peter bought them some coffee as they walked back to HQ, the pizza boxes balanced on one of Peter's arms while the other free hand held the coffee cup.

"Not bad," Peter mused as he took a sip "doesn't beat your specialty blend though, Ray."

"I can show you how to make it, if you like?" Ray offered and was rewarded by Peter smiling at him, the prospect seemed to genuinely make him happy.

All in all, it was nice little moment to themselves, most of their conversation going unsaid, expressed instead in the smiles, casual glances and posture.

* * *

Winston looked up from the TV as the duo returned with two large pizza boxes, deep in conversation about food. He noticed Ray seemed very animated, his usual chirpy demeanour increased twofold it seemed. It had baffled Winston at first that Ray seemed to have a near boundless measure of patience for Peter, but they'd been best friends since forever as far as he knew.

-Theres nowt so strange as folk.- he thought, shrugging to himself as Peter set the boxes down. "You two planning on eating _ALL_ of that?"

"Maybe. Probably. Highly likely. Although maybe we can find our pair of lovebirds, see if they're hungry too?" Peter said as he opened the first box and grabbed a slice, Ray not far behind him.

"Leave off." Winston said with a pointed look at Pete "let's not piss off the smarty-pants who builds the things that go kaboomy. If he sets anything on fire, it's on you."

Peter rolled his eyes and Ray bit back a laugh, those two bickered good naturally, but in the end they always settled back into their easy-going ways. Peter caught his eye while Winston wasn't looking and winked at him, making Ray beam.

As if drawn by the smell, Egon and Eugene did appear in the kitchen doorway after a few minutes.

"Hungry again, Peter?" Egon asked, getting a nod in return as Peter polished off the slice.

"Help yourselves!" Ray nodded to the two and the 'lovebirds' exchanged looks before nodding. They sat around the table, Winston finally caving and snagging a single slice as a snack and joining his friends.

Ray took in the scene as he finished the last of his coffee, all his friends together, just having a laugh and some pizza. Moments like this were his favourites, when they were united by more than just ghosts and life-or-death situations...

* * *

As he was heading to the bathroom later, he let his mind wander back to his pleasant little walk with Peter as they'd gone for the pizza, he was relieved to see Venkman so much more perky then he had been as of late-

So wrapped up was he in his thoughts, that he didn't notice he was stood in front of the closed bathroom door until he was reaching for the handle. Regaining his mind, he stepped back just as the door opened and Peter exited at just the right time for them to come face to face, or nose to nose in this instance. Ray blushed, then immediately chastising himself for being a space-case, the others were not far away, what if-?

Peter smiled at the blush, then gave Ray a quick peck on the lips before strolling past him back towards the bedroom area.

Ray ducked into the bathroom, heart pounding from exhilaration and delight. He pressed his fingertips to where Peter had just kissed, knowing he was grinning ear to ear. He'd never experienced anything like this before…

But you'd better believe he was enjoying every minute of it.

* * *

The next day, they were handed more evidence to bolster Egon and Ray's 'aggressive ghost' theory.

Eugene was sat beside Egon in the back of the car, watching Spengler tinker with a complex looking piece of machinery. Winston had suggested they could give him a lift home, save him waiting for the bus. They were just over halfway there when Egon's equipment began going off in high alert, making Ray jolt in the passenger seat and twist round to catch Egon's eye.

"What's going on?" He asked eagerly, face lighting up in curiosity. Egon held up the meter and Ray unclipped his seatbelt, twisting round and poking the upper half of his body through the window between the front and back of the car to get a look. Peter, who was the one driving, did a double take; just what in the name of sanity WAS Ray doing?

"What's going on, can someone shut that thing off?!" Peter snapped, turning the car left as Egon barked the direction "And Ray, will you sit _DOWN_. Your ass is obstructing the view!"

"Hff- are you saying I've got a big butt?" Ray grumbled crossly as he buckled himself back in, glowering at Peter. Eugene and Winston's snickering was just audible behind them, joined with Egon sighing in well-rehearsed despair.

"Yes, it's like two badly parked hearses, Raymond. I can't really see the wing mirrors when you're doing something insane like that, now can I?"

Ray flushed and grumbled under his breath, but knew Peter didn't mean anything by it. It occurred to him that in order to assuage how much said butt was obstructing his view, Peter had to have been admiring it. This brought back memories of standing under the tree, him trying to fix Ecto-1 while Peter stared at his rear-end as he bent over the front bonnet.

Egon barked directions as he fine-tuned the readings, Eugene watching him with open admiration. How did these guys stay so calm when the world was going batshit crazy around them? It was amazing…

* * *

He wished he could watch them at work, but he understood Egon's wish for him to remain with Ecto-1 as they pulled up to the site of the readings. He watched Spengler and his friends rush inside an abandoned factory building that looked like it'd only recently been hollowed out, ready set to kick ass. He figured they'd be a few minutes, so he occupied himself with examining all the papers Egon kept in the car, reading the insanely clever ideas on them.

That was how he passed the long wait, thinking nothing was amiss until the Ghostbuster's returned, a bloodied Peter supported between two of them.

* * *

While Eugene was occupying himself, the ghostbusters were cautiously spreading out to investigate the high-ceilinged rooms of the former factory. Egon was staring intently at the meter, Ray alongside him. Winston and Peter provided cover, while the brainiacs followed a path only they could seem to discern. When Winston was looking elsewhere, Peter allowed himself to surreptitiously admire Ray; his rear (albeit slightly obscured by his proton pack) and the way he walked…

When they reached the third floor offices, Egon seen what he'd been following. A scarred but recent symbol had been carved into the floor, but hastily scored through as if the creator had attempted to close a door with a few hastily nailed planks.

"Whoa..what is that?" Ray murmured, his mind going a million miles per hour as he advanced, was this in any of his books? Egon was kneeling by the outer edge of the large radius of the symbol, brushing his fingers along its edge. Peter walked slowly around, flanking Ray and keeping an ear out for disturbances-

He seen a flicker of light on the dirty windowpane, tensing up when he seen it was an unnatural blue, like lightning. He whipped round, running for Ray just as coils of blue energy began unfurling from the floor.

"What- Ooof!" Ray cut off as he both clocked the glowing light and felt Venkman charge him, throwing him aside and out of range. He hit the floor next to Egon, feeling the air being knocked out of his lungs on impact.

"Ray-?!" Egon looked from him to the one who'd thrown him this way, why was Peter-? But any response he could muster died as he watched everything explode into chaos.

Peter ground to a halt after getting his partner out of danger, quickly leaping back out of range and firing at the floor where the things were coming from. The blasts tore the coils of light apart but more just ripped through, arcing up into the air and shooting right for him, forcing him to dive aside. He scrambled to his feet and tried to regroup with the others, but more cut his retreat off, steadily backing him towards a window.

One tendril shot by his ear as the windowsill jabbed into his lower back and he heard the dirty window shatter, cold air whisking across his neck. He tried to fire again, frantic breathing making it hard to think straight. Nothing he did was working-

In one swift move, the thing wrapped a coil around the Neutron gun, binding its owners hands to it as it pushed him back ever further against the window. With little effort, it sliced the pack from its victim, tossing the toy aside. Peter felt intense pain slice into the area beneath his shoulder blades as the thing forced his back to bend, the sensation making him feel sick.

All this happened like a horrific scene from a movie, the others watching in horror as the thing went for Venkman with intent, their attempts to fire on it only resulting in more coils emerging to bat the blasts aside. Ray's stomach sank in horror as he seen a distorted face appear as the thing pulled itself free from the centre of the carving.

They collectively opened fire again; Ray tried desperately to get to Peter, but the spirit was intent on wreaking its vengeance on Venkman. One of the coils blindsided him as he tried again, delivering a hefty punch to his jaw but Ray just shook it off, he'd deal with it later. He heard Winston curse and Egon say something in a language he didn't know, but assumed it was profane anyway.

Peter could feel a wetness soaking into the back of his jumpsuit, from his upper back. He tried not to think what was going to happen, he wasn't going to die here-

As he pushed back against this things attempts to eviscerate him, he notice the coils flickered in the spots where the markings had been gouged out by the beams. He pushed the things back with a surge of adrenaline and shouted at the top of his lungs;

"The floor, destroy the lines-"

The thing lashed a coil around his neck now, enraged by the targets observation. It lifted him off the floor, laughing as it felt the humans pulse fluttering agitatedly, like a moth to a lightbulb.

The glass that'd been jabbing into him pulled free with a sickening sound as the thing hauled him up and Peter dimly heard himself gagging.

There was an explosion of noise and light and he was suddenly dropped to the floor _**HARD**_ , as the thing screamed somewhere at the edge of his awareness. A trap clattered to the floor beneath its grimacing face and as it was drawn inside, Peter swore it looked right at **HIM** , grinning evilly. He wiped tears from his eyes, drawing in shaky breaths as oxygen flooded his lungs again.

Then it was gone and Peter was mute for a few seconds before he staggered to his feet, coughing in discomfort from the things attempt to strangle him. His hands shook as he gripped the windowsill tightly enough to make his fingers turn white at the tips.

"What the heck was _THAT_?!" Winston blurted, picking up the trap as the smoke faded, "Pete-?"

"I'm fine, let's just get out of here, I've had quite enough for one day!" Peter snapped, briefly forgetting the pain in the surge of relief that followed the things defeat. He could feel their concerned looks like laser beams, and abruptly felt unable to stand it. He made to storm past them, but the simple movement sent a wave of pain over his back and he stumbled, gritting his teeth and snarling softly as he tried to regain his balance. Someones hands gripped his elbows, stopping him from face-planting. Opening his eyes, he seen through hazy pain vision that it was Egon. His lips were moving, but Peter couldn't make out what he was saying..

Now he felt the way his uniform clung stickily to his back, smelled a faint coppery tang. Footsteps told him Ray and Winston were behind him;

"Oh geez, this is pretty bad Pete." Winston said, catching Egon's eye and mouthing "hospital, stat."

"W-what're you blathering about-?" Peter whispered hoarsely, even as he felt little bites of pain when he tried to shift his body.

'Y-your back, Peter." Ray said at last "you're covered in blood."

Peter opened his mouth to say he was fine, but the normally second nature habit of shrugging his shoulders made intense pain knife down his back and he barely bit back a cry of pain. The world greyed at the edges and Egon was just about able to stop him slumping to the floor. Peter was gripping his arm like a vice, it had to be hurting pretty bad.

Egon glanced over at the window, seeing the streaks of his colleagues blood streaked across the glass.

"We need to move," he said urgently "those wounds need to be cleaned and stitched asap. Given the buildings state, there's a risk of blood infection."

Peter didn't try to fight them as Ray and Winston helped him stagger down the flights of steps. Every step brought fresh discomfort and he snarled softly, feeling close to vomiting by the time they reached the car.

* * *

Eugene's eyes went wide as the back door to the car opened and he seen the extent of Venkman's injuries, the man looked ready to collapse, eyes closed and his breathing shallow and rapid. Winston and Ray were the only things keeping the man on his feet…

"What happened?" he asked now, looking at Egon, who looked a little paler then earlier.

"One nasty mother of a ghost!" Winston said, sitting Peter on the rear step in the car. Egon scrambled in behind him, digging through boxes in search of something as he talked over his shoulder.

"I have disinfectant here, but it's not as gentle as the stuff the hospital use; this is going to hurt, big time-"

"Just goddamn well do it!" Peter gasped, he was feeling close to passing out.

"Eugene, would you mind giving me a hand?" Egon asked "unless you don't like the sight of blood?"

"Nah, I'm cool, what do you need?" Eugene asked, wincing as he tore his eyes away from the cuts visible through Venkman's torn uniform.

Egon handed him a pair of scissors "I need you to cut the uniform away, so I can clean the cuts. Move quickly, its better that way."

—Like ripping a bandaid off.— Eugene nodded, doing as instructed and quickly snipping the jump-suit and shirt beneath it all the way up the back. Winston peeled back the fabric and took a washcloth soaked in water from Egon to clean up the worst of the blood and get a look at the damage.

Ray perched beside Peter as the others worked, gripping his arm gently.

"It'll be alright." he said gently. Peter looked at him, managing a very weak smile at Ray's reassurance. He took small shallow breaths, trying not to make himself move a muscle.

"Whoa, okay." Winston took a look "I think it looks worse than it is, were talking one bigger cut and a lot of small ones, explains the level of blood."

Their voices became distant babble to Peter as he felt a cloth press to the cuts. Egon wasn't kidding, it **DID** hurt. But at some point he went kind of numb, aware of someone leaning across him, their arm bracing his body to stop him from falling as he drifted between blacking out and waking. Eventually sleep won and he lost the fight to pain and fading adrenaline.

"Alright, it's over now. Pete, can you hear me?" Winston asked, but got no answer. It became clear the only thing keep Peter upright was Ray, who was sporting a rapidly darkening bruise on his face that looked painful to the former marine.

"I-I think he's out cold!" Ray said and Winston helped Stantz move Peter to the row of seats in Ecto-1, lying him on his side. Egon dove behind the wheel fo the car, they shut the doors and took off at speed.

The ambulance staff looked alarmed to see the Ectomobile come tearing into the front of AEs parking lot, bloodied figures spilling out of it. A slender man with glasses said one of theirs had been injured in the course of their work-

The staffs eyes drifted past him as Winston emerged from the rear of the car, carrying an injured figure wrapped in a blanket.

* * *

Ray felt close to passing out from worry by the time the doctor came to find them in the waiting room.

"Well, thankfully none of the wounds are particularly deep, not enough to cause serious injury anyway. Many were shallow but bled heavily, he'll need stitches on the main cut. I'm recommending you take him off active duty, I'm concerned by the fact that he's been re-admitted here again in a matter of days. Theres a record on file saying Dr Venkman was brought in after collapsing at an intersection, but refused any further examination. Since he wasn't in any severe danger, we weren't able to force the issue-"

"Wait, when did this happen?" Winston asked, frowning.

They heard Ray squeak and all turned to look at him. The doctor clocked the bruise on the man's jaw but wanted to talk with him first.

"It's.." Ray cleared his throat "the hospital rang _ME_ that day, they were worried he might faint again if he tried to return home on his own and I guess he just picked my number at random. I picked him up and drove him back to HQ."

"Ah, I can assume from your tale that you are Dr Stantz?" the doctor asked, making a note on the clipboard as Ray nodded silently.

Seeing Egon frowning him as he glanced away from the doctor, he winced "He was adamant I keep it a secret, said it was just low blood sugar, that he didn't want a load of fuss. He seemed much better by the time I got us back to HQ, the doctors gave him something I assume and I suggested he at least eat a candy abr."

"That blockhead." Winston sighed "he takes his physical state _FAR_ too lightly."

"The sugar intake was a good idea, it would've helped stabilise his levels quite satisfactorily." the doctor said to Ray "in that instance, he was partly right, there was little that could really be done save let the body regain what its was missing, with help. But I must insist he take a few days, a week at most, off work, to let the stitches heal. He does seem remarkably robust, I've seen people in a worse state with similar history."

"We'll make sure of it." Winston assured him. Satisfied that the patients friends would help, the doctor turned to Ray, stepping closer to examine the bruise.

"Come with me, I can help with that swelling."

Ray nodded, ambling after the doctor with the others in tow. But his mind was on Peter, why was he having to go through all this?

* * *

Back at the club, Ivan Rhodes was sat at his desk when the phone rang. He picked it up, drumming his fingers on the desk.

"Mm-hm, he was? I see, how unfortunate. Send a little gift, but keep my name a secret, I don't want Venkman to worry himself." he smiled as he set the phone down.

-Never let it be said I don't still care, doctor.- he thought. -would that I could strip you bare and tend to your body myself...-

* * *

Peter woke later on in the evening, dazed and confused. But he recognised the familiar face sat by his bedside, bathed in the orange streaks of sunset pouring in from the window above the bed.

"R...Ray?" he coughed, his mouth was dry as a bone. Ray bolted out of his stupor, hearing Peter's weak voice and grabbing a glass of water that sat on the bedside table. He helped Peter sit, being careful not to press against the bandages on his back.

"How do you feel?" he asked Peter once he'd had a nice long drink. Peter rubbed his eyes with one hand, grimacing as they stung.

"Like crap. It's been a shitty week, first that GBA ghost, now this one…" he trailed off as he seen the bruise on Ray's face, concern spiking his bloodstream.

"What's wrong- oh." Ray winced as he tried to smile "it's honestly not as bad as it looks."

Peter tutted softly, taking in how tired Ray looked.

"Good news, only one of the cuts required stitches, but you're taking a week off regardless."

"Says who?" Peter scowled, trying to fold his arms but the movement made his back hurt so he settled for lying them in his lap.

"Me, for one." Ray said, the worry in his eyes and voice enough to make Peter's counter argument die on his lips.

"Please, Peter..." Ray asked " I'm-"

"Worried about me, I know." Peter managed a soft smile, nodding at last "all right, if you insist Raymond. I'll do it."

Ray looked ready to cry with relief, but right then there was a knock on the door and a nruse stuck her head in.

"Dr Venkman, a package just came for you." she strode across the floor, setting it on the patients lap and giving the doctor a flirtatious smile before leaving.

"Who's it from?" Ray asked as Peter warily examined the thing.

"Doesn't say." Peter's stomach shifted, why did he have a funny feeling?

Inside was a neatly packaged box, containing some very familiar candies Peter recognised. Memories of a sweet taste on his lips as he lay in a plush bed after hot, heavy sex ran through his mind and he went tense as a board.

"Peter, what's wrong?" Ray asked.

"Get rid of them, Ray. Please." Peter said softly "or let Egon eat 'em, they're sweet enough, I know that much."

Ray wondered why Peter was so put off by what seemed like an ordinary packet of sweets, then he realised-

"These….did _HE_ -?"

Peter nodded "yes, Ivan often had those in his bedroom. Please just get rid of them."

"Alright, Peter." Ray put them in the bag beside his feet for now, to get them out of sight for now.

It didn't occur to him until much later, but how had Ivan found out that peter was even in the hospital?

* * *

"You trying ta be a ghost yourself, dr Venkman?" Janine asked when they all returned home that night.

"If I do, I'll haunt the living daylights out of you, promise." Peter shot back, making her glower at him.

* * *

That night, Winston was awoken by a series of very peculiar noises. Muted sounds of discomfort, a grunt of effort, a suppressed noise of pain-

He sat up, eyes landing on Venkman's bed. Peter was propping himself up on one elbow, trying to shift how he lay, but the action caused obvious pain and he gave up, collapsing back onto the pillow with a sigh. Zeddemore could see, even in the darkness, that Peter looked exhausted and he had a feeling it wasn't just physical. His eyes fluttered closed and the rate of his breathing told Winston the man had fallen asleep again.

Lying back down, Winston wondered **WHY** had that ghost gone for Peter?

* * *

Peter was so deeply asleep when the others woke the next morning, that he didn't even stir when Ray tripped and fell on his face with a loud yelp.

He slept on and off throughout the day, brief interludes of consciousness allowing him glimpses of the others as they came and went. Ray brought him a drink, offering a sympathetic smile before he had to dart away again as the klaxon rang.

* * *

Days passed, in which Peter dragged himself out of bed only when he wanted food or a shower. He was **BORED** , but he'd been told to keep off his feet and get plenty of rest. The cuts stung a little every now and then, but Egon had found extra pillows after that first day to make lying down easier.

On the third day, he was told by the doctor via a phone call that he needed to clean the cuts, to keep them from infection and help them heal.

Ray walked in just in time to see Peter attempt to get a look at his own back.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sitting on the bed behind Peter, tracing a finger along his shoulder. Peter smiled softly at him, Ray had been a blessing the last few days. Whenever possible, he snuck Peter candy and kisses that were just as sweet.

"I need to clean these cuts, but I guess I'm not _THAT_ flexible."

"Hmm, I don't know about that." Ray said cutely, thinking back to that first night. Peter chuckled, snaring Ray's fingers with his own and kissing them softly. The warmth of his lips made Ray's heart stutter happily and he settled his hand on Venkman's shoulder.

"Let me do that." He said softly as he held out a hand for the bottle of disinfectant Peter had been given by the hospital and Venkman happily handed it over along with a special type of cloth. He winced a little as Ray dabbed the damp cloth against his skin.

"That too much?" Ray asked but Peter shook his head, saying it hurt a lot less now.

"It _IS_ looking much better." Ray said kindly "you're healing fast. You always did, y'know?"

"Yeah," Peter chuckled faintly as Ray finished his task and capped the bottle before disposing of the cloth. "Winston likes to say I'm too dense to notice, I just assumed I was lucky. Guess I kinda took it for granted, huh?"

Ray came to sit beside him on his bed now and Peter wasted no time in wrapping his arms around Ray and pulling the man's mouth down to his own. Ray's lips tasted as sweet as ever and he sighed happily, tangling his fingers in his short black hair. Stantz's soft, warm hands came to rest at his side, thumbs rubbing gentle circular patterns against Peter's skin.

"Mmm, delicious." Peter smiled as he let Ray go, feeling his boredom go away for the moment as he stole this brief interlude with his precocious Raymond.

Ray smiled, cheeks flushing faintly at the way Peter looked at him. He'd always thought that Peter had a very fiery and passionate nature, but with their fledgling relationship; he seen it even more strongly.

Hearing footsteps, they drew apart, Ray getting to his feet while Peter shrugged a loose-fitting shirt on. It hurt a little bit to raise his arms over his head, but it wasn't nearly as bad. Thinking about the amount of abuse he'd taken the last few days, he **WAS** lucky he seemed to be as tough as he was.

"Ray." Egon stuck his head in "we got another call, let's move."

Ray nodded, darting over to the door as Egon glanced across at Peter.

"Any better?" He asked and Peter nodded gently.

"The stitches itch." He complained dourly as an afterthought.

'That means its healing then. Your appointment is Friday, right? Not long to wait."

"Yeah, then I can finally do something other then sleep in bed all day. Huh. Never thought I'd find myself bored of _BED_!" Peter rolled his eyes then nodded his head at the hallway behind Egon where Ray stood "Go on, skedaddle. You guys go have all the fun."

"Fun, sure." Egon rolled his eyes, making Peter do a double take as he and Ray disappeared off down the hall.

"Did he just do a sarcasm?" he asked the empty room.

* * *

Friday dawned bright and warm, as Peter caught a bus out to the hospital that evening.

A quick check-up and stitch removal later and Peter was given the all-clear to return to work. He headed for the bus stop, but then he seen an advert for Ray's bookstore in a discarded newspaper and was struck with the need to see and hold his Raymond. He recalled that morning, Ray had said he was going to be at the store all day; Inventory time or something like that.

Peter felt a little bit guilty when he remembered the days Ray had hid himself away at the shop because he didn't know how to confront Peter over their relationship.

But half-way there, the skies opened and torrential ran poured down. Peter called the weather several rude things as he hurried the rest of the way along to Ray's shop. To his relief, the light in Ray's office was still on and he fidgeted atop the step as he knocked.

Ray heard the rapid knocking above the drumming of the rain and jogged downstairs, eyebrows raising as he spotted the drenched figure through the blinds over the door pane.

"Peter?" he asked gently as he opened the door and ushered him inside "you're soaked! C'mon, I'll find you some clean clothes..."

Peter smiled softly grateful for Ray's caring instincts, he was lucky…

Ray brought him up to the office, where it was warmest, finding him some towels before darting off to fetch some clean clothes. Peter stripped down to his trousers and dried his skin off, sighing softly as he felt the warmth of the room sink into his skin.

Even this office was all **RAY** , stacks of books and stay-puft models here and there. It was cosy, comforting...

He snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at the clock. Ray had been a few minutes now, was everything alright? Unable to sit still, he went in search of him.

* * *

Ray had been in the process of selecting a clean shirt he thought would fit Peter when he'd turned a little too sharply and knocked a stack of books off his dresser. He'd just stacked them and scooped up the clothes again when Peter walked in, unheard. He turned round and bumped right into him the next second however, blushing as he took in shirtless Peter with his hair all tousled by the towel-dry.

"You OK?" Peter asked, setting a finger under Ray's chin and tilting his head up so he could lean in and steal a quick kiss.

"Mm-hmm." Ray nodded, clutching the clothes bundle "it's a little cold in here, the office is-"

But Peter just pulled him into his arms and kissed him again and Ray couldn't turn him away. He pressed his hands flat against Peter's back, the warmth making Venkman groan softly. The clothes spilled to the floor as he indulged in several explorative kisses with Peter.

"It's much warmer here, with you." Peter said huskily, kissing Ray's forehead.

Ray's attention and his gaze moved briefly to the bed in the corner of the room, beneath the window. His hands moved up Peter's back just slightly, was he healed enough?

"Doc said I'm good to go," Peter seemed to read his mind, one hand tugging Ray's shirt free from his slacks and brushing the bare skin beneath as he traced a pattern with his fingertips. Ray uttered a plaintive little moan, pressing against Peter's chest as his hands moved to rest at the man's hips.

"Shall we?" Peter murmured in his ear and the last of Ray's resistance faded away as he kissed him, hard, leaving Venkman a little breathless. He scooped Ray up in his arms, striding across to the bed and lying him down on his back atop the covers.

Ray heard the bedsprings shift beneath him as Peter knelt over him, gently nuzzling his throat and pressing his body against Ray's.

"I've been thinking about this since I left the hospital.." Peter murmured.

"Today?" Ray asked in that adorably innocent way, flushing as Peter chuckled, shaking his head as he looked down at him.

"Oh no no, since last _WEEK_ handsome. I couldn't wait any longer to steal you away for myself. Ive missed you Ray, so so much."

Ray looked up at his partner as Peter sat back on his haunches to slowly, teasingly unbutton Ray's shirt. The ambient lighting filtered in through the blinds, stripes of light highlighting Peter's body. Ray stared shamelessly, he really had a nice body, he wished he could compare-

Peter clocked his stare and chuckled gently "you're not seriously having doubts about letting me see you as you are, are you? I point you towards my statement from the first time: Boing!"

Ray had a million things he wanted to say, but all of them seemed useless in the face of Peter's obvious want for him. He recalled how Peter had pressed home just what Ray did to him on that first night, **VERY** physically.

"Good Raymond." Peter praised, kissing Ray as he slid the zipper on Ray's trousers down, letting one hand slip under the fabric and massage him. Ray bit his lip, that same feeling from the first time igniting again now. Shocks ran up his spine and it felt like a literal ache, the longing he'd been sitting on since the accident.

Soon, any clothing they'd both worn was discarded onto the floor as Peter gently moved his lover's legs up and apart, tracing Ray's thighs with his fingertips and lips. Ray realised then that they **MIGHT** just need a certain something; and cast a glance towards the bedside drawer. He felt silly, trying to think up a way to say he'd bought it just in case….

Peter must've read his mind because he planted another kiss on Ray, before reaching across to where he'd seen Ray looking.

"Guess I'm not the only one who was waiting for this.." he murmured as he unscrewed the cap, seeing Ray flushed cutely.

"I thought, that is...s-so.." he coughed softly, why couldn't he be as easy-going as Peter, at least when it came to flirting?

-Smooth, Ray. Like sandpaper.- his brain chided him and he shut his eyes, mentally facepalming. Then he felt warm, slick fingers press into him and those thoughts flew out the window as he shuddered in bliss, ohh, it felt so good…

He squirmed atop the sheets as Peter gently prepared him for what was to come, bracing one hand beside Ray's head and kissing him as he worked.

"That feel good, Ray?" he whispered, seeing the look of pleasure in Ray's eyes as the younger man wrapped his arms around Peter's shoulders. Peter felt him rest his hands, palms flat, against his skin and wondered why he did that? But this thought was dismissed as Ray nuzzled behind his ear and whispered;

"Amazing..." he sighed blissfully, the truth evident in his voice. Peter flexed his fingers once more, feeling and hearing Ray writhing atop the sheets, gasping Peter's name in that soft voice of his.

Deciding he was more then ready, Peter ceased readying him and positioned himself to begin the second instance of seducing Ray Stantz.

Ray made a combination squeaking/very pleasured noise as he felt his partner push gently into him; sounds that only endeared him to Peter even more.

"You're just as hot as I remembered." Peter said breathlessly as he paused a moment before starting. Ray squeaked again, lost for a response; as all he could think of was how completely connected their bodies felt right then, but his mind was too tangled in the salacious sensation to speak.

Peter noticed that Ray responded far less nervously this time, arching his back and pressing down into every thrust of his partners body. Ray had been wanting this just as badly as Peter had, it'd been a long wait between that first, nervous night when they'd gotten together up in the attic and now.

The exhaustion of the last week, the pain and the hospital visits- all of it faded to the back of his mind as Peter made love to Ray. The scent of him, the feel, the warmth...he was addictive. But it was a different addiction to his former ways, where he'd simply sought sex for biological release and nothing more. The warm-hearted and endlessly forgiving man he was sleeping with now, he gave so much more…

He held Ray close to his chest as he felt his partner hit his peak, rewarding him in kind and murmuring his name over and over as they rode out the ecstasy of their second night together.

"You are well worth the wait, my sweet Ray." Peter murmured as he took in the dishevelled, satisfied gentleman beneath him. Ray licked his lips, idly stroking stray strands of hair away from Peter's face.

"Speak for yourself." he replied shyly, looking very happy.

Ray smiled cozily at Peter as the other gently pulled out, drawing him into his arms where they lay atop the covers, basking in the warmth of their passion. They didn't say anything, didn't need to. Both were sated, appetites and long-held desires finally colliding to cancel each other out. Slow, appreciative kisses passed a few minutes, then they burrowed under the covers and gradually fell asleep, feeling warm and secure.

* * *

Peter woke first again, as dawn broke. In the pale morning light that crept between the blinds, he studied the man curled up against his side, one hand draped across Peter's midsection. Venkman grinned to himself, Ray was so adorable and ever so lively if last night was anything to go by.

He settled a hand on Ray's back, feeling it rise and fall with each breath as he gazed at the narrow band of sky visible through the blinds, letting his mind wander…

* * *

Ray stirred, sleepy eyes opening as he slowly recalled where he was and who with. He lifted his head from where it rested on Peter's shoulder, seeing that Venkman was already awake. He turned his gaze from the window to meet Ray's eyes, smiling in that seductive way of his.

"Morning you.." he teased, stroking Ray's sweat-dampened hair.

"Hay..." Ray said, smiling giddily as he sat himself up so he could kiss Peter properly. Peter's hands slipped down below the blankets and gently rubbed Ray's bottom, making him moan softly into the kiss.

"You really do have a fantastic arse." Peter said bluntly, making Ray chuckle as he regarded him.

"Really? Sure it doesn't look like two poorly parked hears- aahh..oohh-"

For as he'd been about to make the joke, Peter's sly hands squeezed his bottom again. He squirmed against Peter's hands, hearing the man groan lustily.

"I was joking," Peter admonished once Ray was paying attention again "you know my opinion on your rear-end, Ray, I believe I made it very clear that day when the car broke down."

"Were you really just observing it that whole time?" Ray asked and Peter grinned unabashedly, one eyebrow raised as he looked at Ray.

"Observing? I was mentally taking pictures of it."

"With or without clothing on?" Ray asked before he could stop himself; even as he could feel his face heating up. He hadn't realised Peter had been **THAT** turned on by him back then.

"Ohhh, you know the answer to that." Peter whispered then kissed Ray deeply, hearing him sigh happily as he returned the gesture.

It felt so good to see Peter look so happy, Ray thought privately. When he thought about everything the guy had been under the last week, he wanted to do whatever it took to make up for all the bad times.

So he pressed against Peter now, kissing him hotly as he did. Peter responded eagerly at first, shifting so barely a sliver of space lay between them, but several kisses in; Venkman suddenly coughed and pulled back a fraction.

—You're very tempting right now, my precious Raymond. Much as I'd love to have you a second time, it might be a little fast for you..—

"What's wrong?" Ray asked, worry creasing his brow. Was Peter annoyed or upset with him? Peter stroked his face gently, smiling wryly as he spoke.

"Oh, it's not a case of something being wrong, per se..."

Ray seen how Peter looked wistfully at him and realised his actions must've aroused Venkman. He flushed, he hadn't thought he'd be able to do **THAT** so easily…

Peter was about to suggest Ray go get a shower, when Stantz suddenly moved so he was straddling his lap. Peter moaned sharply, he knew when he was beyond hope of making this go down easy. Literally.

"Ray..?" he asked breathily, hands moving to Ray's hips, did he want another round-?

The question was unanimously answered when his eyes met Ray's. Going by the look on his face, his eyes bright and cheeks flushed, his best friend wanted it bad. And who was he to deny this firecracker?

Ray braced his hands against the headboard, returning Venkman's kiss as he felt his partner's hands caress that most intimate part of his body. A few touches was all it took to bring Ray to complete arousal himself, his heart racing in exhilaration as Peter sat himself up better; grasping Ray's hips and guiding the man down onto him…

Ray swiftly settled into a rhythm, Peter's hands moving from hips to waist, from guide to support as he took the lead.

-Ray, sweet Ray...- Peter thought longingly as he felt the pleasure start to peak, Ray's boldness was as much a turn-on as his physical body was. He kissed Ray hard as they finished, holding him as close as physically possible in this position..

Their eyes met as they caught their breath in the aftermath of the finish. Peter looked at the way Ray settled his hands on his shoulders, palms pressed gently against his skin as he slowly, teasingly lifted himself from Peter's body and settled comfortably against his chest now.

"Why do you hold your hands that way?" Peter asked now, pulling Ray so he was resting against his chest and held securely in his arms.

"Well...uhh…" Ray suddenly seemed at a loss for an answer, contrasting oddly with the passionate confidence he'd just displayed.

"C'mon..." Peter urged "Tell Petey what's on your mind..."

Ray fidgeted adorably, sighing softly then muttering the truth as he traced Peter's collarbone.

"I didn't want to leave marks on your skin, Peter, not after seeing what that guy did. It looked like it hurt."

-So wonderfully innocent, isn't he?- Peter thought, dipping his head to snare the man's lips with his own.

"That's very sweet, my dear Raymond." Peter soothed as he released him "but two things; one, I don't mind if _YOU_ mark me, two; you've never hurt me, you adorable goof."

Ray flushed but smiled happily, resting against Peter a little while longer as he enjoyed the afterglow of the second roll in the hay in the space of 12hours.

* * *

Eventually they figured they **HAD** to get up, and Peter ushered Ray off to go take the first shower. The building Rays shop was in had the usual facilities, but those also comprised a very narrow shower, so the idea of wasting further time by showering together was sadly off the table.

* * *

Peter studied Ray as the man dressed, something was bothering him and now he realised what it was Ray buttoned up what looked like a recently purchased shirt.

"Why are your clothes so...baggy?" he tilted his head to the side, studying Ray's face. Sure enough, Ray flushed guiltily, biting his lip as he stalled for time.

"Well, it's just...easier." He said lamely.

Peter seen he was surreptitiously trying to wrestle the drawer shut and smoothly stepped in, kissing Ray as he cast a glance over the contents.

"Ah-ha, I haven't seen this shirt in ages." He pulled one free that Ray had stopped wearing after becoming convinced it was a little too snug.

Seeing Peter holding it up to him now, he chuckled and shook his head. Peter pouted in that cute way of his, snagging Ray around the waist and pulling him in for a kiss.

"Please…?" he asked, giving Ray his best puppy-dog eyes. Ray felt his resistance waver, then recalled Peter's very on-the-nose point from last night: boing, wasn't it?

So he gave in, figuring it wouldn't be so bad, and he could always put a jacket on, say he felt cold when it came time to go to work.

Peter looked extremely pleased as he regarded the redressed Ray, who seemed surprised when he discovered the shirt fit a lot more comfortably this time around then he'd thought.

Either it hadn't been that bad or he'd lost weight somewhere down the line? Ray shrugged internally and put it down to the manic lunacy of the last few weeks.

"Sex is also a great way to burn a few calories," Peter read the expressions flittering across Ray's face "so there's that, too. I mean, twice in the space of one day? I'm impressed at how long you can go, Ray."

Ray blushed profusely, again wondering how Peter was so casual about this? He still couldn't get the hang of flirting without grinning like a goof.

* * *

They ventured down to the kitchen, the peace and quiet of the little apartment making it feel like the real world didn't exist. That there was just them, the walls and a sense of peace.

Ray began making coffee and breakfast, popping his reading glasses on as he studied the writing on the back of a packet.

"Do you have to wear those a lot?" Peter asked, running a thumb along the edge of the right arm of the specs.

"Uhm...no not really, just for reading fiddly things, like impossibly teeny writing." Ray scowled at the packet but seemed to get the gist of it as he soon launched into making the food. Peter offered to hep but Ray just smiled and said it wouldn't take a minute.

* * *

Soon, the kitchen was filled with delicious smells and Peter's stomach was gurgling obscenities at him in morse code. That was his excuse anyway and Ray kept breaking into fresh giggles every time it rumbled, which made Peter smile.

They leaned back against the counter, just leisurely making their way through the plates full of food. Ray set the dishes in the sink, but was distracted from washing them by Peter securing another deep kiss.

"Question;" Peter said, seeing Ray's slightly dreamy expression as he let him go, being reminded of something unresolved since their first night "what was on your mind?"

"Huh? Don't you mean _IS_?" Ray asked, brow furrowed in bewilderment. Peter shook his head, kissing Ray's nose and smiling.

"No, I meant _WAS_. That first night; I asked you what was on your mind and you said you'd tell me later. It's far later now, but I want answers."

Ray thought back for a few seconds, then realised what Peter was referring to. But he found himself feeling strangely embarrassed and found he could only make a series of squeaks and hesitant noises. Peter sighed, scooping him up and setting him atop the counter. Ray gulped nervously, what was Peter going to do to him to get the answer?

But Peter just gave him a level stare, hands resting on Ray's thighs as he studied his friend.

"Tell me..." he wheedled, "you know I cant resist a tempting mystery like that."

Ray flushed, but after further kisses, he finally spoke;

"Its...back in university…." He took a deep breath "I had _SUCH_ a crush on you."

Peter blinked, genuinely startled by this. His heart picked up the pace, was this?

"For real?" he asked softly. Ray ran a finger along the collar of Peter's shirt as he nodded in response to Peter's question.

"Mm-hmm. I was scared, I thought if you found out you'd split so fast I'd never see you again. Thats when I discovered that book on meditation in the old bookshop on campus. I thought if I could suppress that side of me, I wouldn't have to lose my best friend."

Peter felt a surge of sympathy for Ray right then, wishing he'd been so sure of his own desires in time to stop Ray from messing with his own head. But that far back, it hadn't been on his radar so to speak.

"Well, we're here now, so forget about the past." He murmured, kissing Ray softly. "and in fact, I find that very flattering."

Ray flushed but smiled, returning Venkman's kiss and feeling a little less embarrassed about admitting that age-old secret.

* * *

They made their way to work, arriving in time to snag a cup of coffee before the alarms rang and they were off! Egon noticed Venkman seemed in much better spirits today, he assumed the wounds had fully healed and the man was simply relieved to be back to chasing ghosts with a piece of nuclear weaponry. He did have a penchant for blowing stuff up…

* * *

As they were heading back to the car after cleaning out a public works building, Egon swore he felt someone staring at him. He stopped shortly, glancing over his shoulder. For an instant he thought he seen a faceless figure vanish down an alley, hidden far behind the mass of people that inevitably gathered around the Ghostbusters, then the sun went behind the clouds again and the figure was gone.

"Egon?" Ray tapped his shoulder, drawing Spengler's attention back to the real world "you OK?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Egon assured him, but Ray looked skeptical.

"Sure?" he asked.

Egon nodded "I thought I seen something strange."

"Wow, that really narrows it down, thanks for sharing." Peter snickered and Egon shook his head, saying there'd been no PKE response from his meter, so it was unimportant.

* * *

He was heading to Eugene's place to have dinner, after which Ray would take over driving and return home with the others in Ecto-1. Peter wouldn't stop teasing him about it until Ray gave Venkman one of his patented "looks" that made Venkman clam up, but also childishly stick his tongue out at Ray.

"Mature." Ray deadpanned, hearing Winston snort.

"You were expecting anything else?" he asked, making Egon snicker, Ray bite his lip and smile and Peter to flip Winston off, much to the former marine's amusement.


	7. Your Symmetry

Once they got to the house, Eugene insisted the whole lot of them come in for a drink, his dad wanted to meet all of them!

"Nice guy." Winston remarked as he slid in behind the wheel of Ecto-1.

"Eugene's mother must have been a giraffe, did you see how tall he is compared to his father?" Peter raised an eyebrow.

"You should see my aunt Lois, I'm almost three inches taller then her! Sometimes growth spurts go crazy..." Ray shrugged.

He and Peter were sat in the seats that faced away from the drivers seat, so Peter was able to move one hand to lightly caress Ray's thigh without Zeddemore being any the wiser. Ray blushed, his heart racing around his rib cage as he met Peter's sultry gaze.

* * *

Ray offered to empty the traps and Peter trailed idly after him, asking what was the plan for dinner?

—If his brain's not in his pants, it's clearly in his stomach..— Winston thought, rolling his eyes as he headed upstairs for coffee.

* * *

Peter managed to hold out until Ray had set the traps aside for recharging, then he moved quickly and scooped him up to sit him atop the railings in front of the unit. His hands clutched Ray's sides gently, tangling his fingers in the loops of his utility belt to steady him.

"Peter.." Ray began, on the verge of saying they should probably get back upstairs so he could sort out dinner, but Peter had other ideas. Recalling the first morning after, he nibbled on Ray's earlobe and brushed teasing kisses behind said ear. The rest of Ray's sentence went off-track faster then a racehorse hopped up on caffeine.

"I need to make din- ooh, t-that's...mmh..." he trailed off into a deliriously happy sigh, biting his lip and pressing closer as he gripped Peter's shoulders tightly, scrunching handfuls of his friend's uniform in his hands. Upping the ante, Peter's hands moved down to caress his bottom and Ray had to bite back an urgent moan.

"You're so damn cute, Raymond." Peter praised as he ceased teasing his friend and kissed him firmly on the lips. When he let go, Ray was flushed an endearing shade of pink and his eyes shone with an infectious enthusiasm.

He seen the way Ray bit his lip, all sorts of cute thoughts flashing across his eyes; then he glanced at the stairwell.

"OK, cutie." Peter smiled, helping Ray down off the railing "let's go eat.."

Ray nodded quietly, yet he wished they could-

"..before I get hungry enough to get a taste of _YOU_."

Peter watched Ray out of the corner of his eye, spotting the precise moment the innuendo/euphemism sunk in and Ray's innocence booted up.

"P-Peter!" The younger man squeaked urgently, turning to glower at his partner and getting that trademark seductive grin.

"Sorry, hot stuff." Venkman apologised, seeing Ray look a little mollified at the gesture "I'm just teasing..."

Ray sulked for a second, closed the distance between them and kissed Peter quickly, then turned and headed for the stairs with a smile gracing his lips. Behind him, Peter raised an eyebrow but smiled, the gestures obvious affection making him adore Ray even more. He followed after him, glad they'd been able to grab that brief time together, he hated having to sneak around.

—Who says you have to, lieutenant Duh?— his brain piped up, making him actually pause on the second to last step before the main lobby of the firehouse. —Winston didn't seem to care about Egon and his bed-friend, why would he raise an eyebrow?—

Peter's heart stuttered at the possibilities, but the cynic in him asked could he risk opening up a life he'd kept so private for good reason?

Ray, sensing something was off, turned to look back at Peter. Seeing him staring off into space, he stepped back down the stairs so they were level with each other. He set a hand on Peter's arm, asking was he OK?

"I'm fine, Ray." Peter assured him and after a moments hesitation with those soft hazel eyes searching Peter's expression, Ray seemed convinced enough to continue on up to the kitchen.

Peter sat at the dinner table, staring into space as he pondered an ideal scenario where he could-

"Boo!" Winston seen a spacing out Peter and simply couldn't resist sneaking up behind him.

"Sweet merciful _CRAP_!" Peter yelled, almost leaping out of his chair, such was his fright. He glared at Winston, who snorted in amusement.

"Worth it." He smirked as Venkman twitched irritably.

Watching this out of the corner of his eye, Ray sighed, the sound resembling such a strong reprimand that both his friends looked slightly shamefaced for a moment. Peter stuck his tongue out at Zeddemore, who shook his head and drifted away to sit on the couch and switch the TV on. Peter hovered around Ray, silently observing what he was cooking for a minute, then he gravitated towards the TV too.

* * *

Not long after the others had left,Eugene had to nip outside to chop some firewood and was surprised when Egon insisted on accompanying him.

The bright light spilling from the kitchen door lent enough light to open the woodshed and Eugene began piling logs off to the side, before grabbing the axe from where it leant against the wall of the shed.

"Mind if I try?" Egon asked suddenly, making Eugene do a double take, so the doctor elaborated "I would like to test a theory on wether momentum and calculation would enable a first timer to hit the mark easily."

"Well, I've enjoyed all your other theories so far. So heck, why not?" Eugene winked, making Egon stall a moment while he worked that one out, then he went red and made a flustered noise. Eugene tapped the genius on the nose, seeing a faint blush in his cheeks as Egon glowered at him.

"Sorry, Eeg. Here, let me show you how to brace yourself."

He seen a cute, forgiving smile curve Eeg's lips and somehow resisted the urge to plant one on him right there and then. He moved to stand behind Spengler and pressing his chest against Egon's back, the warmth of him soaking through Eugene's jacket. He moved Egon's hands on the handle of the axe, nudging his feet with his own so he was balancing his weight properly. Then he stepped back to give Egon room to swing the axe back over his head.

"That's it, easy now…"

Egon studied the log in front of him, all the mental mathematics completed in his head and he geared up as much strength as he could and swung the axe down.

Eugene stared as Egon hit the log dead centre, the precision strike split the log neatly and the head of the axe buried itself in the tree stump.

"Whoa, Eeg. Nice!" he laughed, shaking his head in amazement "I guess maths _CAN_ come in handy in real life- my teacher wasn't lying."

"Of course not, it is fundamental to many things." Egon said, letting go of the axe handle and rubbing his shoulder "however, I may have been a bit overzealous in my calculations."

A chilly breeze whispered across the back of his neck and Egon shivered softly.

Eugene chuckled, removing his varsity jacket and draping it over Eeg's shoulders, brushing a brief kiss over his forehead as Egon turned curious grey eyes on him.

"Don't worry about me, I'll warm up once I get started on this lot." He gestured to the pile of logs awaiting him. Egon perched on the empty log-storage bin nearby, holding Eugene's jacket tightly around his shoulders. It held the scent of woodsmoke and grass, triggering his memory to flash back to the scent of Eugene's skin after he'd been doing the mowing. That'd been on their second date…

"Look, Eeg." Eugene's voice pulled him from his daydreams as Eugene stood in front of him, hands resting in a loose cradle, within which rested a bug with a soft orange glow coming from its back.

"A firefly?" Egon murmured, leaning closer and watching the little shimmering insect as it roamed across the landscape of Eugene's palm, casting a minute shadow as it did.

"Cool, aren't they? I was fascinated by them as a child."

"It certainly _IS_ beautiful, insects are a marvel of nature." Egon said softly, blinking as the bug buzzed its wings abruptly and flew up into the air, circling the two of them before vanishing into the dark.

Eugene's lips brushed his the next second and Egon closed his eyes, relaxing into the kiss with a surge of happiness. They parted after several seconds, both flushed but smiling. The light from the distant kitchen door threw their features into soft relief, shadows half concealing them from prying eyes.

"Eeg..." Eugene smiled as Egon took his out-held hand and let himself be helped down from his perch.

"Want some help carrying those?" Egon asked, pointing to the pile of firewood.

Eugene grinned "OK, but we just need enough for tonight; we can grab the rest tomorrow, pops and I."

Egon nodded, grabbing the firewood and amassing a suitable load under Eugene's watchful eye. They went back inside, where mr Visitor looked up from his spot by the fire and regarded them with a warm smile.

"You boys were gone awhile, get lost out there did ya?" he chuckled good-naturedly as the duo set the logs in a wicker basket by the fire.

"I was showing Egon the fireflies." Eugene said "remember, from when I was a kid?"

"Oh ho, you couldn't wait to go outside and chase them in the summer. You'd be at the back door with a net, determined to catch some for your room, how could I forget?" Eugene's dad chuckled and Egon smiled softly.

He discovered that he enjoyed sitting by the fire and eating a nice, relaxing dinner with Eugene and his father, an opposing mood to the rowdy dinners with his friends. The Visitor's talked easily of so many things from past to present and Egon even found himself FINALLY telling them the story about the Emu. Eugene laughed so hard he got cramp, almost crying in amusement as Egon face-palmed at the end of the tale.

"Venkman wasn't kidding, it _WAS_ obsessed with nipping you in the butt."

"What a silly bird," Mr Visitor laughed "never heard tell of one being that obsessed. Did you have something in your pants pocket it might've wanted?"

Egon thought back "Twinkies?" he guessed.

"Who could resist a Twinkie?" Eugene mused. —Or Eeg's cute behind- —

He cut that train of thought short, now was not the time.

* * *

But fate threw a spanner in the works when, on attempting to start the car to drive Egon back to Ghostbusters HQ, the engine decided to conk out and refused to turn over.

"I regret that I know little about cars, that's Ray's department." Egon said apologetically as the three of them stood around the bonnet. Eugene assured him it was fine, but soon realised there was a further situation that arose thanks to the misbehaving vehicle.

"You're welcome to stay here tonight, sonny." Mr Visitor said to Egon, as if reading his son's mind "it's awfully late and it feels like there's a storm coming."

"That would be much appreciated." Egon nodded, before asking if he could use the phone please?

* * *

Ray was closest to the phone, which meant he had to answer it. Logic of a lazy-off.

"Hello? Oh, Egon, hey…what's-? Oh." he nodded "the car broke down? I could drive over and- okay, if you're sure."

"What's going on?" Winston asked, while Peter remained silent, merely raising one eyebrow like a question.

Ray covered the handset "The Visitors' car has broken down and they don't have the parts on hand to fix it tonight. Egon's gonna stay there tonight, says we can swing by and grab him tomorrow morning-"

He put the phone back to his ear "Yep, I'll put the proton pack and uniform in the car."

"Mm-hmm...the car isn't working..." Peter waggled his eyebrows and whispered this to Winston.

Ray blinked at what Egon was saying on the phone, then twisted in his seat to look at Peter "Uhh, Egon said "tell Peter to grow up already. Guttermind."

Peter snorted with laughter, rolling his eyes as he returned his attention to his food as Ray listened to Egon's explanations.

"See you tomorrow then. Alright, goodnight." Ray said with a nod.

"It will be if they're sharing a room-" Peter piped up, only for Ray to interrupt;

"And I quote; "if he makes one more joke, tell him I'm going to follow through with that threat about the acid and his hair."

When Ray put the phone down, Peter started giggling away, making Stantz shake his head in despair.

-If Egon ever found out about _US_ , I wonder if he'd be likely to pass up the chance to level the playing field?— the thought made him ponder, would they ever be as lucky as Egon and Eugene, able to sit close and smile within the confines of HQ?

While Winston was off on a trip to the bathroom, Peter looked over at Ray, flashing him a smile that seemed to sum up everything they shared and make a shiver of electricity run up Ray's spine as he returned it, feeling his heart about to explode from happiness.

* * *

Back at Eugene's place, Eugene was listening in, his arms wrapped around Egon's middle as the doctor scolded Venkman via a very bemused Ray. Once he put the phone down, Eugene began chuckling.

"Honestly." Egon grumped as he felt the vibrations of laughter in Eugene's body, typical old Peter and his dirty imagination. Eugene's dad had retired to bed not long ago, so Eugene could get away with climbing all over his precious Eeg, not that Egon minded one bit.

They went upstairs, but as Eugene opened the door to his room, Egon's hand tangled with his. Outside, heavy rain cascaded down, rivulets of water making endless tracks on the windows.

"We don't need to sleep just yet, do we?" the doctor asked softly and Eugene smiled, opening the door and ushering Egon inside. They sat atop his bed, Eugene cradling Egon against his chest as they talked briefly about work, before both their secretive desires finally won out and their lips found one another, hands roaming over and under clothing. Egon's heart was starting to race and he reluctantly pulled away a moment later, making Eugene study him worriedly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, kissing his lover on the lips as he studied his expression.

"Mistake it not for dismissal," Egon said in his delightfully seductive way "but would our, ah, 'activities' not cause a lot of noise? I can feel from this beds composition that it will creak most unceasingly."

"True," Eugene sighed "dang, I had such plans for you too."

"Oh?" Egon asked, "Might I enquire as to the particulars?"

"Not much to say, involving you, the bed, me and a lot of-"

Egon flushed, biting back the urge to chuckle at Eugene's grin as the man broke off, raising an eyebrow at **HIM**.

"Shameless innuendo?" he asked of him now and Eugene grinned ever wider, kissing him and patting his bottom as reward.

That was when Eugene had an idea and the glint in his eye sent an enticing thrill up Egon's back.

"There is a way to add to your tally without making too much noise and giving the game away. Care to let me test another theory?"

Egon felt his heart-rate spike in curiosity and nodded wordlessly. Eugene kissed him fiercely enough to take his breath away and gently nudged Egon back so he was lying stretched out on the old-fashioned bed.

Eugene knew just where to kiss, to touch, to send shiver after shiver up Egon's spine, urging him closer and closer to arousal. His breath caught in his throat as Eugene unbuttoned his neatly ironed slacks, nuzzling between his legs.

Oh, **NOW** he understood.

Eugene wasn't wrong, it **WAS** a lot quieter then the usual passionate physical loving, but Egon still made himself keep a hand over his mouth to muffle any stray moans of pleasure. As the climax faded and he removed his hand from his mouth to take a lungful of air, Eugene nuzzled his forehead.

"What do you think? Should I run another test?"

Egon tangled his fingers in Eugene's hair, pressing his lips to the other man's and running his tongue along his bottom lip. There it was again, that taste;

"It _IS_ important to get plenty of data, but wont the results be skewed in my favour?" he asked, parting from a flushed Eugene, who wondered if Eeg knew how hot he was when he did little things like that?

"Mmm, no need to worry about that. This one's all about you." Eugene assured him, seeing Egon flush happily, but the desire in his eyes was hard to deny. So when Eugene ceased kissing him to venture back down on him again, he didn't protest.

* * *

They exchanged several short, sweet kisses as Eugene guided Egon to the spare room he'd be sleeping in. The last thing he seen was Egon's slate-grey eyes, filled with contentment, then the door shut with a soft click.

Inside on the spare bed, Egon got into a spare set of pyjamas Eugene had given him. The fabric was a little baggy on him, for Eugene was of a broader build in comparison to Egon, but the only thing he noticed was how warm they were.

He burrowed under the covers, feeling his face flush as he recalled what had just transpired. Eugene certainly knew a lot about stimulation, didn't he?

He fell asleep, feeling more free and unconstrained then he ever had in his life. He couldn't imagine going back to his old way of life, not when this treasure trove of intimate pleasures had been availed of him…

* * *

He was woken out of bed by the sound of a horn honking outside. Rolling over in the warm, cosy bed, he slapped a hand against the window, pushing it open and letting in sweet-scented fresh air. Leaning out said window, he heard voices drifting on the wind, coming from the front of the house.

"Peter, will you cut that out?!" that was Winston's voice, his friends were here. Wait, what?!

Glancing at his watch, Egon realised he'd slept past his usual body-clocks time of rising and panicked, throwing himself out of bed and doing a manic rendition of how he normally got dressed. Thankfully Eugene's little "attentions" last night hadn't creased his clothing, he'd set them aside with care this time. Usually, Egon mused, they just kind of threw them all over the place with abandon.

He got to the top of the stairs with loafers in hand just as Peter stepped into view.

"Yo, lover-boy, we gotta bail- got a big call up in- ** _GAH_**!"

He ducked as Egon reacted on instinct and threw a shoe at him, just missing his head.

"All right already, geez you're cranky today!" Venkman groused, darting back to the relative safety of 'beside Ray'. Ray shot him a stern look and Peter pouted back, arms folded.

Mr Visitor chuckled as Eugene just shook his head.

"That fellas a lively one, reminds me of your uncle."

Eugene muffled a laugh. For all his uncanny observation powers and borderline loopy behaviour, he actually kinda liked Venkman. The guy seemed to have no shame, no filter….

He waved goodbye to Egon from the front step as the ectomobile drove away. He smiled at his father as they went back inside;

"That Spengler lad is a good fella. I'm glad you have him to help you, kiddo."

"Me too." Eugene smiled "he's been a lifesaver, pops."

Mr Visitor heard the tone of his son's voice and smiled. He had a hunch, it was time he let Eugene know.

"You look after the lad, you hear me. He needs a bit of warmth and kindness in his life."

"Pops..?" Eugene blinked, feeling abruptly nervous. But to his surprise, his father turned and hugged him.

"I had a hunch my boy, back before you disappeared. But, I never got the chance to speak with you before you vanished. It makes me happy to see you two together."

"You're not freaked out then..?" Eugene stammered "I-i mean..."

"Nothing wrong with loving someone special, who cares wether its a girl or a guy? You could be gay, straight or entirely unconcerned and I'll still be proud of you, Eugene. I've always liked that Spengler fellow, I'd say he's perfect for you."

"How did you…?"

"Know for certain?" his father released him from the hug, giving Eugene a wry grin "I went into the kitchen to grab a drink and seen you smooch the lad out by the shed."

Eugene facepalmed "I should really pay attention."

Then it hit him, **THAT** was why his father hadn't batted an eyelid on hearing Peter yell "lover boy" shortly before ducking an incoming shoe.

Mr Visitor chuckled "yes, that lad's carrying on was quite amusing, probably would've merely made me question his sanity if I hadn't seen you two last night."

"To be fair pops, I think Venkman has that effect on a lot of people." Eugene snickered. But inside he was light-headed from the shock of the reveal and relief that his father was all right with his choice of partner.

* * *

But the lighthearted days were set to take a tumble for the other Ghostbusting couple, as soon as the next day in fact. A plan set in place months ago was now set to take off. Every reading had been obtained, all relevant data collected and the subject had been confirmed. If this plan was a success, power as yet unheard of would be theirs...

The same figure Egon had glimpsed just the day before watched the firehouse from a distance. He seen the Ghostbusters return home and for a while nothing happened, then the secretary left, followed by the two identified as "Egon" and "Winston" in that trademark car.

"Sir, the target is in optimum position for acquisition, but one other remains with him."

He listened, nodded.

"Yes, it's the same one with him at the book shop, "Ray"."

He smirked, hearing his bosses orders loud and clear.

"Understood, sir. Alive, but sufficiently 'warned.'"

The figure cut the call and grinned as he strode towards the firehouse. From other hiding places, his assistants seamlessly got into position, their van pulling up alongside HQ as he opened the door.

* * *

By luck, Venkman was sat right in his line of sight, feet propped up at the desk. He barely bothered to glance up as he heard footsteps.

"Sorry, we're a little short staffed right now. Unless it's literally trying to eat your face off, we can't do anything."

"Oh, I'm not here for business proposals Dr Venkman, I'm here on behalf of my boss." the figure said and Peter's blood ran cold, he **KNEW** that voice. His mind flashed back to that first night at the club where he and Ivan had been interrupted from their kiss. Sure enough, it WAS the same guy. Peter's eyes narrowed and he raised his voice in irritation.

"Well tell your 'boss', to back off. I told him it was over and I meant it." Peter got to his feet, walking round the desk to glare down at this guy. "now _LEAVE_."

"I'm afraid I cant do that, I was tasked to come here and retrieve something very specific, the boss will be very upset if I don't."

"What are you talking about?" Peter felt his stomach shift in unease and clenched his hands at his sides, body tightly wound and ready to throw a punch.

"Why, _YOU_ of course." The man smirked and right on cue, Peter swung for him but was surprised by his opponent stepping back with remarkable speed so the swing missed him by a clear margin. Venkman stumbled back, on high alert now- he had to press the alarm button, get the others back here fast!

"Ah ah..." The guy chuckled, then snapped his fingers "you'd be wise to come with us, otherwise."

A muffled voice reached Peter's ears and he turned just as two goons dragged Ray into view on the steps. They'd used a torn length of bedsheet as a gag, presumably to stop Peter getting wind of their intrusion. Going by the fresh bruises on Ray's face, he'd put up quite a fight, but even he was no match for the two that'd tied his arms behind his back.

"Ray-?! You assholes-" Peter swung back around in time to see another suited goon had materialised out of thin air and stood before him now. He backed up sharpish, only for someone else to pin his arms to his side, their beefy arms like a vice.

"Lights out, Doctor." The ringleader sneered as the goon in front of Venkman pulled a box from his pocket. Inside it was a syringe filled with a clear liquid, its sharp point gleaming in the light. Ray struggled and fought, feeling panicked tears soaking the fabric muffling his mouth.

Peter lashed out then, managing to kick the one advancing on him right in the crown jewels, causing him to double over and snarl in pain.

"Go play with the traffic!" Peter shouted hoarsely as he twisted and fought against the gorilla holding him in place "and get your filthy hands off me, you animal!"

The goon he'd decked in the crown jewels recovered himself, swinging the syringe with a certain vengeance and burying it in Venkman's leg. He pressed the plunger down, injecting a heavy dose of sedative into the targets bloodstream.

Peter felt the one restraining him finally let go, but the world was already going fuzzy. As he collapsed to the floor, the last thing he seen was Ray's desperate gaze locked on him, his muffled voice screaming something, then nothing.

"Good." The ringleader said as the goon who'd been restraining Venkman picked him up now, heading for the exit where a truck waited outside, disguised as a movers van.

* * *

"Now, to deal with _YOU_." The leader turned to where a shocked Ray had ceased struggling against his captors now, evidently in severe shock.

Ray felt close to passing out, his chest was tearing from the pain of seeing Peter being abducted before his eyes, yet being helpless to stop it. The fabric tied over his mouth was making it hard to breathe…

"Seems a shame, but I can't have you waking up until we're finished with Venkman. Urgent rituals are afoot, there's no time to waste erasing all you meddlesome idiots from our path. Call everyone you please once you awaken, but even you Ghostbusters don't know what you're dealing with."

He removed another box from his pocket "time for a little nap, Dr Stantz. Don't let it be said I don't show some mercy in leaving you alive for your friends to find. Its not as if you have the ability to stop me anyway."

Ray's legs gave way and he crumpled to his knees as the guy advanced on him. He was hyperventilating, he couldn't think straight-

The lights above them exploded in a shower of sparks just as the guy swung the needle towards his neck-

The sudden plunge to darkness was enough to throw the guy's aim off, the needle burying itself in Ray's shoulder instead. He felt the plunger press, felt a brief, icy sensation in his veins-

More explosions and an unearthly scream met his ears.

"What the hell?!" one of the goons subduing Ray said, loosening his grip on Stantz as he glanced wildly around him. Ray took the opening, launching up from the floor and throwing his weight against the ringleader. He heard the needle snap, heard his attacker curse loudly. The world spun as Ray hit the floor, frantically scrambling for cover in the chaos as he threw himself towards the desk.

"Grab him-!"

But Ray had reached the desk, aiming a well-placed kick at a button behind Janine's desk. Alarms began blaring, strobing red light cutting through the poor illumination. Through the screaming alarm, Ray heard snatches of voices;

"Go, Go! He got at least some of the dose, he'll be of no use to anyone for enough time to finish the ritual. Move, before this racket draws attention."

"Mr Rhodes is gonna be pissed..."

"Doesn't matter, we got his precious 'Doctor Venkman.' As ordered." in the strobing lights, Ray seen and heard them abandon the station, tyres screeching as their van burned rubber and took Peter with them...

* * *

Left alone in the darkness, Ray rubbed his face against the edge of Janine's desk, succeeding in loosening the gag and taking a shuddering gasp of air. He was just trying to free his hands from the shreds of sheeting that bound them when he felt a hand brush his back. He screamed in panic, throwing himself away from it-

"Please, young sir-" he knew that voice, it was Alessa…

She materialised before him now, entreating him to please be calm.

"T-that was you, wasn't it?" Ray stammered as she was able to knock a book against the alarm switch, silencing it.

"Yes, I had been slumbering in the space above-" she gestured upstairs, meaning the attic "then I awoke to feel a strong sense of danger. I was too late to stop them from taking the guardian, but I did my best to free you."

"G-guardian?" Ray hiccuped as she concentrated her ghostly abilities to clumsily use Janine's scissors to cut the sheets enough for Ray to wriggle free.

"Yes, the one who so stalwartly protected you when he thought me a threat." She smiled and Ray realised she was referring to how protective Peter had been that morning. Tears pricked his eyes and he struggled to stand on shaking legs. Only a little of that drug had gotten into him in the end, all the wriggling then the last-ditch escape meant the needle had not only snapped off, leaving a slim shard dug into Ray's shoulder, but had barely been injected to start with. Ray ripped the needle from his shoulder, seeing small flecks of blood on its tip as he let it clatter to the desk.

His legs gave way and he slumped back against Janine's desk, feeling about to be sick. The roar of an engine reached his ears and he pressed back against the desk, had they come back?!

* * *

Egon frowned as he looked at the firehouse, seeing it looked like some of the lights were off. He checked the Ecto-1 onboard computer again, it was definitely showing the emergency alarm had been activated. But the signal had ceased a little too rapidly and so they'd ditched the rest of their assignments to return. Janine wasn't due back that day, which meant only Peter and Ray were home. If something ghostly had attacked them, the two might not have been enough to fend it off…

Winston shoved the door open, frowning as he seen the flickering lights in the cavernous entrance hall.

"Ray!" Egon said, darting forward as Winston's eyes settled on the huddled figure in front of Janine's desk, barely noticeable in all the chaos. A pinkish ghost wavered into view as Egon approached, her see-through hand resting on Ray's shoulder.

"Ray?" Egon could tell something was majorly wrong by how Ray recoiled from him, breathing shaky and ragged.

"Ray? It's all right man, it's just us." Winston spoke calmly, peering worriedly at Ray as he crouched beside Egon. "What happened, where's Pete?"

"T-they took him." Ray choked out tearfully.

"Who did?" Egon noticed the length of fabric around Ray's neck and realised whatever had happened had been a co-ordinated attack.

"I don't know..." Ray gasped "I was upstairs sleeping; when suddenly someone's got their hand over my mouth and there was a knife..."

"I'm calling the police-" Winston strode away but Ray suddenly launched to his feet with surprising speed, knocking Egon on his rear.

"Stop!" he gasped, grabbing Winston's arm tightly. The former Marine stared in surprise, why was Ray scared of the cops?

"Ray, someone hit this place hard, took Pete and tied you up! I get you're in shock, but trust me, the cops gotta get in on this-"

"Theres no time!" Ray said desperately "the guy with the syringe said there was a ritual- They're going to kill him, Winston, we have to find them!" he felt his voice crack, couldn't hold on any longer "please-!"

Winston hesitated as Ray broke down, almost collapsing had he not grabbed the shaken Stantz by his arm and hastily steadied him.

Massaging his bruised tailbone, Egon noticed the broken section of syringe and carefully picked it up with a napkin. He ran upstairs to run tests on it while Winston followed with Ray, sitting him at the table until the shocked mans cries finally petered out. He must have been scared witless…

Alessa stayed nearby, wanting to comfort Stantz after all he'd been through.

"This is strong stuff," Egon looked up from his equipment "if they knocked Peter out with this, they must mean business."

"Ok Ray, what else can you tell us?" Winston spoke gently to the mute Raymond. Egon was running from spot to spot, putting every computer he had on task, looking for high PKE readings, electricity surges, anything.

"I-i.." Ray sniffled again "I h-heard them say a name, a mr Rhodes…."

"Means nothing to me.." Winston said and Egon shook his head also. Ray wracked his brains, trying to think- then it connected and he had a terrible feeling.

"The guy from the club-! Peter mentioned someone named Ivan...m-maybe they're one and the same? The guys who attacked said it didn't matter what happened to me, they had mr Rhodes' precious 'Doctor.' He always called Peter 'doctor' or 'Venkman', never called him by name…"

His mind was going a hundred miles an hour, would this Ivan guy really take being broken up with that seriously? It was crazy!

"This is sounding kind of stalker-ish," Winston said "so this guy had the hots for Peter, is that it? How long was this going on and how on earth do _YOU_ know all this? No offence, but Peter is about as touchy-feely as a porcupine-I even tried getting him to talk when he was stone drunk, wouldn't give up a thing!"

Rays fear abruptly turned to impatient fury. Peter was in mortal danger and Winston was asking why Peter hadn't told **HIM**?

"Where and why would Peter have contact with a guy who was stalking him?" Egon asked "It doesn't add up."

Ray's hands were clenched so tight, his nails were slicing the palms of his hands. He pushed up from the table now as his anger hit its peak, glaring at the both of them "Because he knew I'd understand, that's why! You're smart Egon, work it out already!"

The room spun and he stumbled back, talking through the pain in his head. Would he ever see Peter again?!

"Im-gonna-hurl." he squeaked, the emotional surge was too much for his stomach and thus he bolted for the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

"….OH." Egon said as the penny dropped.

"Ah." Winston said, following quickly behind him. "Ray's in love with Peter- wait- What?" he stared at Egon, hands raised in a 'help me out here' gesture.

"It makes perfect sense." Egon caught his eye, expression one of understanding and curiosity "I understand now. Peter's shifts in mood, from coming home drunk to seeming so upbeat. Whatever bond he and Ray forged, it's been making him better..."

"Then all that business with going out drinking-?"

"Yes, I think his secrecy revolved around that club for a reason. This 'Ivan' must have been an intimate acquaintance."

"I think my mind just exploded." Winston said, "Never suspected that Peter might be gay- wait, what am I saying? That guy is a constant parade of surprises!"

A hiccup from the doorway announced Ray's return. He looked pale as death and on the verge of collapse, so Winston steered him over to a couch, telling Egon to make some very sweet tea.

"How're we gonna find him?" Ray sniffled and Winston wished he knew what to say to comfort him, the guy looked utterly heartbroken. He'd clearly developed a very personal relationship with Peter and the events of the day were too much for him to handle.

"Old saying in the marines, Ray; No man left behind. We'll find Peter, one way or another. Tell us everything else you can think of, even the smallest detail..."

Alessa appeared as Ray wracked his brains, looking around her in puzzlement before glancing at Egon.

"Young sir, where is the one who courts your affections?"

"My wha- oh, you mean Eugene?" Egon blinked, wondering why she was asking "He's back at his father's place, why?"

"Because I am sensing a signal, but it does not tie back to you. The originator of it is not here..."

Egon stared at her, then his eyes widened as what she was saying sunk in. Was it possible there'd been a second signal? With the revelation that Peter and Ray were a thing still fresh in his mind, it was the most logical solution. He glanced at Winston, seeing the same expression on his face.

"Peter!" They said in unison and Ray looked up, staring at Alessa. He'd forgotten about what'd drawn her here, assumed she'd honed in on Eugene and Egon's love...

"The Guardian? Yes, I believe so. Somehow the signal was more hidden then that of yours and your fellow."

"So Peter was up to the old horizontal hello that night too?" Winston asked incredulously "wait a second, so then-"

Ray seen they were all looking at him now and slid down on the couch with a whimper as his face reddened. Winston raised an eyebrow as if to say "well." and Alessa giggled into her hands, looking absurdly pleased by the idea.

"I deduce that is why he was so protective of you, mr Stantz." Alessa said kindly "perhaps he thought I was a threat to you? Somehow, he is expert enough to mask his emotions, I was unable to get a clear read on him. Perhaps that is why I could not detect the bond until now."

Ray slithered the rest of the way to the floor with a squeak. Egon came over with a cup of tea, kneeling down to set it in Ray's hands.

"Drink," he said as reassuringly as he could "you can't look for Venkman without something to fuel you. We'll find him, but we need to stop and think this through; if we have one shot, I'm gonna make sure it's on target."

Ray took a few steady sips under Spengler's watchful eye, the genius' words stilling his panic for a moment. Meeting Egon's gaze, he seen the normally introverted genius was being as sympathetic as he could and it made Ray feel better. Winston came over to join them, so both of his friends were crouched either side of him, looking worried but hopeful.

"Ok, tell us what you know about this Ivan guy. Was he a fling Peter had?" Winston said, following Egon's lead.

"Kind of...he said it was just supposed to be a no strings attached kind of thing. But Ivan, the guy was an asshole, he was..." Ray choked off, recalling Peter's self-disgust when he realised he'd been tricked.

"Was what, Ray?" Winston asked, imagining a myriad of answers to his question.

"Was he hurting Peter?' Egon asked and Ray flinched subtly but nodded.

"K-kind of...Peter said it felt like he was being used, that the guy seen him a mere conquest. Then I seen the marks on him."

"I'm sorry to ask this my man, but was this scumbag physically abusing him?" Winston was shocked, but he knew even the most talented of people could be outfoxed. This guy must have wormed his way into Peter's mind, bypassing his normally whip-fast judgement and then started laying traps.

"O-only recently, he was getting aggressive when it came to….uhm…" Ray tailed off, feeling awkward about saying all this, but if it meant saving Peter…

"How did the two of you start?" Egon asked Ray now, to spare him the guilt of spilling all this.

Ray took another swig of the tea, sniffling "I was on my way back from my shop one night when I stumbled on them. I tried to slip away, but Peter spotted me. He was really angry at first and I wanted to tell him…y'know.."

"That you weren't going to laugh?" Winston finished and Ray nodded.

"Yeah, b-but I was too worried he'd think I was making it up just to get him off my back. The longer I left it unsaid, the more a part of me wondered why he still seemed unhappy? Eventually he caught me off guard, realised why I was avoiding him. I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone and how could I when I was the same as he was?" he felt himself flush as he mumbled into his tea "tha's when 'e kissed meh."

Silence reigned for a moment, save for the beep and hum of Egon's machines.

"Man, Ray….why didn't you ever tell us?" Winston asked at last, setting a hand on Ray's shoulder "you know we wouldn't have laughed.."

Ray sighed dolefully, remembering the scolding he'd gotten from Peter when he'd learned about it.

"Because a long time ago, I used a type of mediative technique to all but section that part of my mind off-"

"You did what?!" Egon looked aghast, glasses slipping down a fraction. Winston glanced from one to the other, expression asking 'is this bad?'

"That's what Peter said," Ray snuffled, "he was worried I was hurting myself."

Egon put his mind to work and took a stab at the rest of the story "I'm guessing Peter started growing attached to you, and thus further from this Ivan guy."

"Did Peter dump that guy's sorry ass?" Winston caught up to Egon, studying Ray's tense posture.

Ray nodded in response to both statements, rubbing his eyes.

"I thought it was over after Peter called off the whole thing with that guy, h-he seemed so much happier. Peter's not as bad as he acts; he told me he'd convinced himself that people weren't worth trusting, that all he wanted was just….sex. But the more I talked to him, the more he seemed to hesitate. I knew it wasn't my business, but I couldn't just leave him to suffer alone like that and before I knew it...we.."

Silence rang for a moment as Ray closed his eyes, feeling sick with worry until finally Winston spoke;

"Man, Pete better know how lucky he is."

Ray blinked, looking up at Winston as he squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm serious, man. You're the nicest guy on the planet and honestly, I think Peter needed someone to be brave enough to challenge him. I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Egon; it might not be my bag, but better spreading love than hate, right? Pete may be a world-class psychologist, but even the best can be fooled."

"I don't know where they'd take him, I doubt it's the club, he must know we'd be able to find it.." Ray sighed "I don't know anything else about that creep. I just wanted Peter to feel better and not have to keep reliving it."

Alessa had been silent this whole time, closing her eyes and seemingly meditating or sleeping. She opened them now, looking over at Ray.

"Young sir, if you will trust me to pilot your body, I might be able to follow the thread that ties you two. But I'd need more energy then this form holds to do such a thing-"

"Do it!" Ray gasped, pushing himself to his feet and nearly falling over, fresh tears welling up in exhausted eyes "they're going to start some crazy-ass ritual, and somehow I doubt Peter is intended to survive it!"

Egon looked like he wanted to protest, he had observed Stantz was still under the sedatives minor influence- but one look at Ray's face silenced him. He knew that if it was Eugene in this position, he'd be just as driven…

Alessa approached him now and Ray squeaked as he felt his consciousness being nudged into the back seat so to speak.

The two other Ghostbusters watched in mild concern as Ray flapped his arms about a moment, then seemed to regain his momentum.

"This feels weird." Ray said, his voice layered slightly by Alessa's female tones.

"You're in a dude, of course it's gonna feel weird. Just try not to need to pee, because I am NOT explaining that one." Winston said.

"Winston!" Ray objected, then chuckled as Alessa caught up.

"Save the jokes for later, let's go!" Egon grabbed a portable unit, dumping as much data onto it as he could. He was cross-referencing it even as he got into the car, the screens light gleaming off his glasses.

* * *

Ray sat opposite him, looking about to throw up. Egon observed him for a moment then shuffled so he was sat next to him, propping him up.

"Whatta ya doing 'gon?" Ray mumbled, his throat still sore from all the shouting and panicking.

"Sitting here because you look like you could use some support. Also, if you're going to throw up, I would like it not to be on my laptop."

Ray giggled brokenly, this was rather funny for some reason.

"Anything, Alessa?" Winston called back. Ray shut his eyes, focusing on the link again. Inside his head, he could feel Alessa probing his memories, joining his feelings for Peter to the signal she'd picked up on. It was stronger, but not by much.

'I don't know.." She borrowed Ray's voice again, shaking her head "it IS closer, but still far from us."

"I'll keep going this way, just keep trying." Winston assured him. "If he's out there, you two will find him."

Egon stared intently at his data, feeling his frustration building-

That was it! He hunched forward, typing even faster as he realised what he was looking at. The aggression of those ghosts! If someone was conducting a ritual, it would explain the rise in PKE. He quickly piled it into a scatter graph, blinking at the spot where it was biggest.

"Winston, head for the outer boroughs!" he yelled. Winston hit the gas, putting the car into overdrive. As they sped along, a glimmer of hope returned to Ray's eyes.

"It's...I can sense him! It's getting stronger!" he choked out, his and Alessa's voices overlapping. They parked the car as close as Egon's data could pinpoint and Ray took off out of the vehicle, slipping into the shadows, followed closely by Egon and Winston. Ray's heart beat painfully fast as if it was about to break apart, Peter was so close….

* * *

While this was unfolding back at HQ, Peter woke to find himself tied to a chair.

"What the?!" he coughed groggily, trying to wriggle free, but the ropes were too tight.

"Stop struggling!" a voice barked and someone blindsided him with a hard slap, making his head spin. Forcing himself to pay attention, Peter seen he was in a dimly-lit room and that there were torches spaced in a circle around him. A glance down at the floor revealed carvings in it, freshly made enough that curls of wood still clung to the grooves and furrows.

"Where am I?" Peter said, voice rising in desperation "answer me, you cowards!"

"Why, you're in my domain, dear Doctor." a voice said as he heard footsteps behind him.

Peter shook his head, stomach churning as his vision focused on a familiar face.

"Ivan?" he said in shock "what are you doing?! Let me out of here!"

"I'm afraid I cant do that, Doctor." Ivan smirked, stepping forward to brush his fingers over the bruise forming on the side of Peter's head from the earlier blow.

Peter snarled at him now, calling him something crass and with enough venom that it made Ivan almost feel bad for what was going to happen to this man. He'd miss him…

"I wasn't lying when I said you were unique, Venkman." he said smarmily "I was tasked with getting information on you, to find out just who you were."

"I'll tell you who I am, I'm pissed off, I'm sick of this crap and I'm going to kick your ass!" Peter snapped.

"Oh no, dear Doctor. You're so much more, but you don't even know it. The leader was right, you really don't have any memory of who you truly are."

Seeing Peter looking shocked and confused he elaborated "some time ago, a very powerful wizard made a deal with a demon. He wished to become a demon himself and at first it was enough, but soon he desired more, knew he was capable of _BEING_ more. But in order to satisfy his urge for power, the demon told him the sacrifice of an innocent soul would be necessary to boost the spells bond. The subject would absorb the power and the father would just have to sacrifice them to the demon and that power would be passed onto him, with the subject's soul as payment. So he chose his only son, keeping this hidden from the boy's mother.

He drugged you and the demon he had bargained with set the first seeds of power in place within you. Day after day he watched you, seeing if it was adapting to you, but you proved an ideal host. Sadly, he let his former feelings for your mother blind him and on the night of the ceremony, your mother was able to disrupt the proceedings with a group of outsiders, severing the connection between you and the still-growing power. She fled with you and disappeared so thoroughly that we had given up hope until suddenly a TV commercial began airing for the Ghostbusters."

He laughed, shrugging "who knows, if you and your buddies hadn't chosen to be so brilliant, you might have escaped and led a normal life with them. But by attracting such fame, your face was seen all over the world and our leader seen you, recognised the one who had been lost so long ago."

"You're so full of crap." Peter laughed "I'm not buying this! Wizards, don't make me laugh!"

"Wizardry existing in the modern age, is it really so far fetched? You hunt ghosts and demons do you not? You've seen what they can do. Didn't you ever wonder, doctor?" Ivan asked, coolly regarding his former lover "why you could take such abuse without sustaining as severe injuries as your friends might? Why some ghosts were willing to bargain with you?"

The nuggets of truth in his words made Peter hesitate a moment before disbelief reared again and he shook his head.

"You think I have some sort of magic? You're not just hitting rock bottom, are you?" Peter laughed sharply "you've hit bottom and started digging for China!"

"Wether you realise it or not, you emit a very fine frequency and only the more powerful, coherent spirits would even be able to read it. During one of your trips to see me, I laced your drink with a special component to help boost the signal."

Realisation hit Peter like another slap "the whiskey-? No wonder it made me sick!"

"Yes, an unfortunate side effect, I'm afraid. But it was a success; more ghosts were drawn to you, weren't they?"

"They tried to _KILL_ me, you ass!" Peter snarled, realising the GBA ghost and the shards of glass ghost were all stemmed from that concoction. "You set them up, didn't you?"

"Yes, it was a little close, but you survived as I knew you would. It all came together to prove our hypothesis, that you were the long lost key."

Peter couldn't say anything, his head was spinning.

"The fact remains, Doctor, you're the key. You see, you essentially became part demon, that night in your childhood. The power that'd been given by the demon was irreversibly fused with you, giving you an edge most humans would have to work a lifetime for. Not to mention quite an appetite." He let his gaze slide lecherously over Peter, recalling those nights together. Peter felt close to throwing up, it couldn't be..?

"With your memory hidden from you, it went un-utilised all these years. It's still within you, still dormant, capable of finishing what our great leader started. All it needs is a little jump-start and once your power is at its peak, he will return to finally claim it from you."

"Who the hell are you talking about?!' Peter yelled, but Ivan's next words silenced him.

"Weren't you listening? Your father, doctor."

Peter could barely hear over the sound of his pulse pounding in his ears . This wasn't a joke, was it? His father was alive and a demon to boot. Was he himself not even...human?

The world began to unravel and Ivan smirked as he seen Peter's fragile ego crack under the weight of the truth.

"It seems only fair you know this for what little time you have left."

"You staged all this?" Peter whispered.

"Indeed. Once your power is at full peak, you wont remember who "Venkman" is-"

"My name is _PETER_ , you asshole!" Peter spat. Ivan snarled in anger and stepped up, hitting Peter hard enough to cut his lip, blood spilling onto his shirt. Peter coughed and gagged as Ivan gripped his chin, forcing him to meet his eyes.

"You are a fascinating thing, _PETER_." He placed a mocking emphasis on his name, letting his hand grope Peter's thigh as the doctor squirmed in disgust. "but your attitude could really use some adjustment."

Peter shuddered in revulsion as Ivan forcefully kissed him, pushing the kiss deeper even as Peter uttered a disgusted sound.

"Why go to all this trouble?" Peter said as Ivan let him go, stepping back to begin the ritual. Others in hooded cloaks stepped into view, with faces hidden by shadow, yet Peter knew their eyes were all on him. Bile rose in his throat and he swallowed it down as he demanded one final answer "why not just kidnap me from the start?"

"Why? Two reasons. One; I had to make sure I had the right target and conduct the tests and two; because I was bored and needed someone to screw. I figured I'd have some fun with you after finding out about your preference for unattached sex. I decided I would make your final weeks fun, before this was all set in motion."

Something in Peter broke then. He didn't know if he was even human, his life had been a careful fabrication that was now on the verge of ending and what he'd once thought proved he was something desirable had been nothing but a lie. Ivan hadn't used him because he was a celebrity, he'd done it because he'd merely wanted someone to screw at the end of the day. He felt a shudder run across his skin, his traumatised mind declaring he never wanted to be touched **AGAIN** -

"It's really too bad you inherited your mothers personality, you could've been something great alongside your father. But as you proved that day you left my office, your heart is simply too weak."

Strange, discordant chanting arose from everyone surrounding him, including Ivan.

The lines on the floor beneath the chair began to glow and Peter stared at them in fear, something was coming, he could feel it.

"You see, doctor?" Ivan mocked "this was inevitable. You'll finally fulfil your true purpose!"

The markings grew even brighter and Ivan smiled coldly as Peter screamed in pain, sparks of red lightning moving up his body. He let the desperate pleas for it to stop to fade into the sound of the chanting as the air itself seemed to fizzle with electricity.

That was when the door came flying off its hinges, striking Ivan in the back of the head.

* * *

Egon frowned as Ray suddenly doubled over in agony, clutching his chest and crying out.

"Ray? Alessa?" Winston helped him stand, seeing Ray's eyes full of tears.

"The pain, it's s-so bad- something's trying to tear him apart-!" Ray took off running, heading towards a burnt-out building ahead. But as they got closer, they realised it was only designed to look that way and the door was in fact heavily fortified.

"Wait, let me use thermals." Egon slipped his goggles down, switching to IR mode. He could see through a haze of distortion that there was a circle of people surrounding a bound figure in a chair.

"He's in there, and there's people surrounding him. We must act _NOW_." Egon whispered "move back, I'm going to set a low-yield grenade. Once it goes off, we hit hard."

Ray could feel Alessa's calming influence against his raging mind. He wanted to rip them apart for laying one hand on Peter-

The grenade detonated, the door sent sailing inwards and all of them dove for the smoke that spilled out…

* * *

"What?" Ivan pushed the door off him, scrambling up as his ears rang. Around him the others were reeling, their link broken. The smoke billowing in the door cleared and a man with black short-cropped hair appeared from the smoke. Ivan had just enough time to see the no-ghost logo on his uniform before Ray punched him so hard he'd later have to have his jaw rewired.

"Surprise, motherf*kers!" Winston yelled, putting his marine training to good use and launching a flurry of strikes against the other robed figures wile Egon darted straight for Peter, brandishing a knife. He sliced efficiently through the ropes binding Peter's wrists, pulling the mute, shocked man to the floor with him as a bolt of proton energy whizzed overhead. Peter was hovering between consciousness and collapse, he barely seemed aware of what was going on. As Egon watched, he passed out, body going limp and breathing slowing a fraction.

A glance told him Peter's struggles had caused the ropes to bite deeply into his wrists, blood spilling over his fingers. A shriek from above him pointed out that ghosts were coming out of the woodwork now, drawn by the power bleeding off from the disrupted ceremony. Recalling what Peter had said when that ghost had been trying to impale him on glass, Egon awkwardly gripped his blaster with one hand and aimed it at the inner circle of the giant symbol.

"NO!" one of the cultists screamed as they seen what Egon was about to do. Egon glanced up at them, eyes meeting through the maelstrom of chaos, the Ghostbuster's eyes burning with barely concealed hatred as he protectively cradled his friends body in one arm. Then he pulled the trigger, proton stream smashing into the floor, breaking the circle and throwing everything to the wind.

Ray seen what Egon was doing, seen Spengler shielding Peter- he turned the gun to maximum and began razing the symbol to shreds, tearing up the floor as the robed cultists ran, screaming in terror (those that weren't rendered unconscious, anyway.)

Winston threw multiple traps down, catching the swarming ghosts and finally silencing the room. Ray ran over to where Egon was cradling an unconscious Peter against his chest, checking his pulse.

"Is he-?" Ray asked, barely able to breathe- he seen the blood around Peter's wrists and felt about to be sick.

"His pulse is erratic, but he's breathing. We need to get him to a hospital right away."

Ray nodded, hoping Peter would be alright…

Winston tied up the goons he'd knocked out, including Ivan. He told the other two to scram as he called the police, saying he'd take care of this.

* * *

Alessa separated from Ray's body as Egon got behind the wheel, joining Ray and Peter in the back. Stantz set Venkman atop the row of seats, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around his lover.

Peter flinched and uttered a pained whimper. Ray closed his eyes, clutching Peter's hand tightly as relief hit hard. They'd found him...but had they been in time?

"I'm so sorry Peter, I couldn't stop them.." he whispered faintly.

"It was not your fault, young sir." Alessa whispered softly as they sped through the streets "you could not have known, they kept their intent very secret."

"What if he...what if.." Ray was too frightened to say what scared him the most, what if he never recovered? Never woke up?

* * *

They pulled into AE for the third time in as many days, Ray lifting Peter in his arms, the cold night air stinging his eyes and making it hard to see as he ran for the nearest paramedic, Egon alongside. Alessa had decided to stay with the car, she knew this was a personal matter for one of the two bonds that'd drawn her to the Ghostbusters.

Thus she concealed herself as the two humans went with their injured friend into the hospital.

* * *

Egon was awake, clutching his laptop to his chest and staring into space, when Winston arrived.

"They're all in custody, Egon, the cops will deal with 'em. Where's Ray?"

Egon nodded to a couch in the corner of the room where Ray was curled up in a frightened ball, having fallen asleep from exhaustion.

"Poor guy." Winston shook his head "he's had a rough night, him and Pete both."

"That pain he sensed...what did they _DO_ to him, Winston?" Egon asked "To Venkman?"

"I don't know." Winston whispered "but if anyone can help him, it's Ray. He really does love him, doesn't he?"

Egon nodded, it'd been evident in every word Ray had spoken, every frantic movement.

The Doctor arrived ten minutes later, Ray snapping awake and scrambling to his feet to hear the verdict.

"Well, I have good and bad news. The good news is; there's no severe physical injury apart from the cuts from the restraints and some minor bruising."

"The bad news?" Ray asked hollowly.

"He appears to have sustained some serious mental side effects. He woke up as we were examining him and lashed out, becoming desperate to escape and refusing to let any of the staff touch him. Some of the equipment nearby shorted out and this made him stop long enough for us to restrain and sedate him. I don't know what happened to him, but I am recommending a period of rest once he's discharged, as well as a psychiatrist."

The three nodded, absorbing this news and Ray asked if they could see him? The doctor agreed, seeng how desperately worried these three looked. He was concerned the one named "Stantz" was going to collapse on his feet, he looked so pale, but he ushered them along the hall to the private room Venkman had been moved to. He left them there, telling them to call the nurse if anything happened.

* * *

Egon and Winston hung back a moment while Ray collapsed in the chair by Peter's bed, studying his friend with worried eyes. Peter looked like a fragile doll, bandages wrapped around his wrists, hooked up to an ECG, soft strands of hair fanned across the pillow as he slept. The soft beeping filled the room and Ray didn't know what else to say…he just clasped Peter's hand in his and hoped.

"Oh man...no punishment those cops can dish out will be enough to make up for this." Winston swore darkly.

"We'll catch them, if theres any damage, we'll reverse it." Egon said firmly, gripping his laptop tightly in his arms "but for now, all we can do for him is find out what occurred and help him work through it."

At that moment, Peter stirred…

* * *

He drifted awake, feeling warm and safe. Softness surrounded his body, his pain was a mere flicker of its former self. He felt the heat of another persons hand curled around his and those desperate, shattered thoughts from when Ivan had revealed how little he'd been worth to him came rushing back. He didn't want anyone to touch him, couldn't bear it- He marshalled his body's pathetic reserves of strength and tore his hand free with a cry-

Egon and Winston, who'd been standing with their backs partially turned to give Ray some privacy, spun round now as they heard Peter's hoarse, torn voice gasp;

"No-! get your hands off me!"

"Peter?" Ray felt a jolt of shock as he staggered up from the seat, holding his hands up in a reassuring gesture as Peter withdrew, hunching up as tightly as he could against the headboard and closing his eyes, attempting to shield himself from his imagined foe.

"Peter, please…it's me, Ray." The voice did sound familiar and when no further contact came, Peter hesitantly opened his eyes and looked at the man stood by his bedside.

Ray, **HIS** Ray. He could see tears in his eyes, see how tired the man looked. Yet, there was a look of such kindness that for a moment he faltered, but the wound was just too raw; he shut his eyes and turned his head away. He didn't want to put Ray through any more, once he learned the truth about what Peter was, he wouldn't be so willing to embrace him, would he? He wrapped his arms around his knees and let his forehead rest atop the blankets covering him.

"Peter?" Ray asked, voice cracking slightly as Peter shut him out.

"Pete, it's us. You're in the hospital, you're safe." Winston gave it a shot, but Peter didn't budge, his grip only tightened around his knees.

"Get out." he whispered hoarsely, his voice just about audible.

"Peter," Egon tried now, "The ringleaders have been arrested, they wont be coming near you again. If they did something, you need to tell us-"

"I said get out!" Peter yelled, digging his nails into his upper arms and feeling his head pound painfully. Above him, the lights flickered and the ECG began to pick up slightly.

"Peter..." Ray said weakly, what was he supposed to do?

"For your own sake Ray, keep away from me! You don't want to know what I truly am, so just _**LEAVE**_!"

There was a loud shrill beep as the ECG began to overload, then the lights cut out and there was a ricochet of startled yelps as the lights cut out further down.

Egon stared, this was weird. In the dim light provided by the still-functioning equipment monitoring Peter, he could see how terrified Venkman was by his posture. His body as rigid as a board, hands gripping his knees so tightly that it had to hurt. His eyes were tightly closed and what little light the ECG threw out highlighted tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

Peter kept his eyes shut, starting to hyperventilate as fear dug its claws into him. He had to keep them away from him-

The door was flung open and a nurse ran in, her eyes taking in the dimly-lit scene. She seen how agitated the patient was and pressed the bell for assistance. He was suffering a panic attack and she would require assistance in order to administer a sedative. She told the other three they'd have to leave.

"But-" Ray began and was stopped by a firm look.

"He's in a fragile state and I cant have the patient being under any pressure right now. You'll have to give it some time."

Ray nodded, managing to somehow keep his emotions in check as they left the busy corridor.

* * *

"What just happened in there?" Winston asked as they made the decision to drive home, there wasn't much they could do for now and they were all tired. They'd all need to give statements to the cops soon as it was.

Egon shook his head "it would appear that he dislikes close contact, no doubt due to whatever trials he endured at the hands of those creeps."

He flashed back to seeing the trace of tears in Peter's eyes as he'd tried to barricade himself inside.

-All these years, I've never seen Peter be hit this hard.—

Ray couldn't say a word, he didn't have the capacity to. All he could do was replay how terrified Venkman had looked, how Ray hadn't been able to comfort him.

He remained numb until the got back to HQ, at which point he crawled up to the attic and fell asleep atop the same mattress he and Peter had first made love atop. In the middle of the night he woke, unable to stop himself from breaking down out of sympathy and his own experience of the night.

* * *

Even Janine was subdued after finding out what'd happened when she arrived at work the next day.

On hearing the short version of the story; Peter x Ray, Peter's subsequent kidnapping and his violent response to contact- she genuinely felt bad for him. It was obvious from Ray's behaviour that he was barely finding the will to get up and eat as the day passed. She observed him drifting aimlessly, several times tripping over things or smacking into door frames, tables and the edge of the desk. When she drew his attention to the fact he was going to hurt himself, Ray just blinked at her, then drifted away again.

The other two had to insist he eat dinner, as Ray didn't seem inclined to tend to himself that first day. He even went into Peter's office, reading through the man's psychology books as if hoping they held a solution.

-There has to be a way to help him..- Ray thought tearfully as he tried to read one of Peter's reference books on neuropsychology, but it was all nonsense to him. He was so tired, but he couldn't give up...

* * *

Winston came across Egon **STILL** in his lab two days later, it was as if the guy barely moved and the shadow of facial hair only proved it.

"Egon, go to bed."

"No."

"Well, I tried. Fine then, what are you doing?"

"Going over the readings my laptop picked up when we were in Peter's room. It took me awhile to recover it, the pulse scrambled the data."

"Pulse?" Winston asked, staring at the mass of writing on the board.

"Yes," Egon turned to face him now, expression serious "the pulse that caused the lights to blow. At first I thought it merely a stray power surge, but the data recovered from my laptop shows PKE traces."

"You're saying a ghost was in there?" Winston frowned, but Egon shook his head.

"No, further investigation revealed that its signature shares similarities with brain wave scans I took from Peter awhile back. When he became agitated, these spikes here-" he tapped he printouts tacked to the board "that was the precursor."

"And these?" Winston pointed to the bigger readings.

"That is when the lights shorted out. It was localised, mainly to Peter's room. Whatever happened to him in the hands of those creeps, it's had some side effects. It's feeding or being driven by his fear."

They both fell silent a moment, then they heard Ray clear his throat. Turning, they seen Stantz standing in the doorway, clutching a duffel bag. He'd been forcing himself to attend the busts with the others, but every spare minute he had, he spent at the hospital. Sometimes he just slept in a chair by Peter's bed, he was often too exhausted to do much else. The nurses were kind to him, realised he was worried about his best friends health and brought blankets and endless cups of tea to him.

"Go on," Winston gave Ray a faint smile "I'll drop by later."

Ray nodded gratefully, darting silently away down the hall. Egon nudged his glasses up his nose and sighed.

"I know Ray's in a lot of pain, Peter too, but we're going to need to catch up on our workload before Peck starts harassing us again."

"Yeah, I really don't wanna deal with that guy." Winston grumbled.

Egon tapped his pen against his chin a moment, then had an idea.

"You're a good judge of physical character, do you think Eugene could help?"

Winston thought a moment, then nodded. It was a start…he watched as Egon ran to the phone to call his friend right away and see if he could make the trip over that day.

* * *

When Winston left to go pick up Ray, Egon was starting to tutor Eugene in how to handle a proton pack.

Winston headed to the hospital, gave his name and was directed to the room Peter was in. When he entered the room, shutting the door behind him, he took in the scene before him.

Ray was fast asleep, his upper body resting on the edge of the bed, head buried in his arms. Peter was sat up in bed, arms wrapped around his knees again. But he wasn't staring into space, he was watching Ray, his expression unreadable.

"Hey, Pete. You know it doesn't count as a staring contest if the other party is asleep, right?"

Peter blinked, glancing briefly at Winston before returning his gaze to Ray. For several long seconds he didn't say a word, then he asked.

"Why does he stay?"

Winston took a moment to answer it, then went for the truth;

"Because he cares about you, Peter. He's not going to give up on you, no matter how hard you try."

"He should." Peter said coldly. Winston frowned, he had to get to the bottom of this sudden rejection.

"And why's that?" he challenged. Peter's near emotionless gaze snapped to him now, his grip on the covers tightening.

"The less you know, the better." Peter said bluntly "enough has been torn apart, it stops here. It stops with _ME_. Get him home, Winston, he'll hurt himself sleeping like that."

-This is bad, Peter's never been this cold. What is he hiding, and what is he on about?- but he nodded, moving to gently shake Ray's shoulder.

Ray sat up, blurting Peter's name before his sleepy eyes settled on the subject of his affections. Peter's haunted, frightened gaze met his and for a moment Ray seen an intense longing there, then it was gone again and Peter's gaze dropped back to the covers.

"I…I'll see you tomorrow.?" Ray said shakily. Peter glanced at him, then finally made a small noise of assent. Winston felt a little relieved, obviously part of Peter's mind wanted to overcome this.

-You can do it, Pete. He's waiting for you.-

Alone again, Peter let his forehead come to rest on his knees, vision blurring as he dropped the facade. His head felt about to burst and right on cue, he heard the ECG beep erratically. He took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing himself to breathe. He couldn't drop his guard, he'd cause too much destruction…

The noises stopped and he sighed shakily. It was at bay for now.

* * *

Ray drifted asleep in the car on the ride home, woke up briefly as he was steered inside, then ambled to the couch behind Janine's desk and passed out once more.

"Wow, he's taking this hard, isn't he?" Janine murmured as Winston came to stand by the desk. He nodded silently.

"Poor boy." Janine sighed "and dr Venkman too. Any news?"

"He's still in some sort of shock," Winston said with a shake of his head "he's barely there, Janine. Normally I'd have gotten him to at _LEAST_ flip me the bird by halfway through the brief conversation we had, but he didn't even blink. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was trying to drive us away because somethings gotten into his head."

"Those weirdos that kidnapped him, you think they brainwashed him?" Janine asked.

"I don't know, he isn't spouting any particular nonsense. He's still the same guy, but it's as if sections of his personality are sealed off and to be honest, I think it's his own doing."

Janine shook her head, she'd mercilessly teased Venkman and butted heads with him more then she could count; but beneath her veneer of frustration, she cared for all the fellas. Seeing Venkman go from the boisterous outgoing pan-in-the-ass she knew to this apparently shellshocked dilution was worrying to say the least.

"How's our trainee doing?" Winston asked.

"So far, so good. He's only set fire to the curtains once. The guy's pretty strong, so the kickback isn't bothering him so much, according to Egon anyway."

* * *

Winston went downstairs to where the containment vault sat, but stopped at the top of the stairs leading down as he seen Egon and Eugene were sharing a moment. Their voices drifted up to him, and Egon sounded worried.

"He's never been this miserable, not in all the years I've known hm." Egon shook his head "I've seen him take just about everything in stride, but this has really affected him."

"Well, the guy who took him, you said he was manipulating Venkman's feelings, right? That's the most vulnerable part of ourselves. It's why finding out someone's cheating on you is always heartbreaking, I seen it all throughout high school. Add in this creep was doing all this just to try kill him in the end and I don't blame Peter for being shit-scared of trusting anyone right now."

"Ray too, it's taking everything out of him. They're like ghosts, Eugene."

Eugene kissed Egon's forehead and stroked his hair softly. He'd been alarmed when he'd gotten Egon's phone call just a couple of hours ago and he'd driven over straight away…

* * *

 _ **There'd been a somber mood hanging over the place and he noticed the absence of Venkman's personality right away, the whole place was oddly subdued. Egon had brought him down to the basement, where he'd told him a short version of Peter and Ray, which oddly hadn't surprised Eugene all that much, if anything it made sense.**_

 ** _"Explains why he wasn't fazed by us, ya know.." he'd remarked and Egon had nodded, the sense of camaraderie he'd gotten from Venkman made sense now too._**

 ** _Then the genius doctor had gone on to explain what a bunch of cultists had done; kidnapping Peter and putting him through a ritual the man was still too shook up to talk about. The end request? With Peter having seemingly given up his job and Ray struggling to sleep due to worry, they needed extra help. Was he interested in training as a temporary Ghostbuster?_**

 ** _Eugene had nodded, he'd be happy to help! He felt bad for Venkman, by the sounds of it, he'd had his whole world torn into and eviscerated by the events. And dr Stantz too, the fact he cared so much for Peter couldn't be making this easy…_**

* * *

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Eugene asked now as he scooped up and set Egon atop the table in the corner of the room. Egon leant against his chest, uttering a sleepy sigh as he relished in the comfort of bodily contact.

"I don't know." Egon said softly "He's been lashing out, according to Ray. I wish there was more I could do, Eugene. But nothing in my data says how to fix someone's trauma. I cant stand to be useless."

"Eeg, listen to me; you are not useless." Eugene titled the doctor's chin up, softly kissing him on the lips "he'll work it out in his own time and you guys'll be there when he does."

Egon nodded, but he still seemed downhearted. Looking up, he seen Winston keeping a respectful distance and nodded at him to approach. Eugene looked round as the other Ghostbuster came over to join them, stepping back but staying close to Eeg even so.

"How's it going?" Winston asked Eugene, who grinned sheepishly and deferred to Egon.

"Well, he's got good aim," Egon said, consulting the clipboard he'd been writing on "for a first time handling a proton pack, he's doing pretty well."

"Sweet! You guys have the coolest kit, I'm jealous." Eugene grinned at Egon, who gave him a reserved, gentle smile in return.

"Just remember Peter's motto; "if at first you don't succeeded, hide all the evidence.""

Eugene chuckled "the version I had was "If at first you _DO_ succeeded, try not to look too astonished.""

* * *

They went upstairs to have some food, where they found Ray slumped at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee.

He greeted Eugene with a tired smile, but he didn't seem as enthusiastic as he used to be.

"How's he doing?" Eugene sat across from Ray, while Egon and Winston raided the freezer for things to cook.

"Still jumpy. I don't know what they did, but he's scared.." Ray whispered and Eugene nodded. He knew the last thing Ray needed was more platitudes, so he just offered a supportive smile that Ray weakly returned.

* * *

The next day, Ray was just on his way towards the front door when it opened and an intimately familiar figure stepped in. Ray's stomach flopped nervously, how-?

"Peter?" he asked anxiously and Janine glanced up sharply, staring as the door shut behind none other then Peter Venkman. But there was something off about him; the way he stood, the way he barely seemed to respond. He put her in mind of a mannequin, expressionless and blank.

"H-how-?" Ray began, but Peter stopped him short.

"I discharged myself, I didn't want to be in the hospital." Peter said, making to stride past Ray. Panicked, Ray reached out, his hand brushing Peter's.

Peter tensed up, the colour draining from his face as he pulled his hand away, putting some space between them.

"Don't-" he said sharply, his voice full of so much tension that it cracked like glass. Ray flinched and Janine seen a look of guilt flash over Peter's face. The phone beeped sharply, then went silent.

-What in the heck?- she wondered, briefly distracted.

"Ray.." Peter whispered, feeling close to cracking under the silence he'd imposed on himself, the embargo on the affection he craved "I'm sorry."

"I know." Ray whispered, somehow keeping his grief and worry suppressed so he could be strong for the man who needed it most "I'm not leaving, remember that."

Then he walked past Peter, heading to the containment unit on autopilot. Peter felt about to pass out as he heard Ray's steps echo down the staircase, why had he come **HERE**? Because he didn't want to stay at his apartment where the empty space left too much room for his thoughts, too big for one person? Or because he wanted-

He shook his head, jogging up the stairs as he crushed the thoughts down again. He decided to cut through the kitchen, but his head was ringing so heavily that he didn't see that anyone was even in there until he nearly ran into Eugene.

"Whoa!' the guy looked startled, hands raising instinctively to stop Peter before he fell. Peter stepped back sharply, even as his legs nearly buckled under him.

Remembering what Egon had said about Peter reacting badly to contact, Eugene quickly stepped back so he wasn't obstructing him. Egon and Winston looked as surprised as Eugene felt, as they regarded their returning teammate.

-Peter? How are you here, you're not ready to deal with this, are you?- Egon thought, studying his posture, his state of health and the way he seemed so distant.

Peter went tense as all eyes swivelled to him, his mind doing the math to determine just how to duck all three of them and escape-

"You sure you're ready to leave the hospital, my man?" Winston asked.

"I'm fine. They couldn't force me to stay, so I discharged myself." Peter said shortly, taking this chance and trying to slip by.

"Pete, hold up-" Winston said, lifting a hand to get his attention. Peter seen it in his peripheral vision and turned mid-step, barely flinching as his hip glanced off the countertop whilst keeping what he perceived as the threat in his line of sight.

"They couldn't stop me from legally discharging myself and neither can _YOU_ , so just leave me be!" he snapped, shutting his eyes as his head pounded and he had to grab the counter for support. Right on cue, there was a surge in the power and the computer Egon was modifying sparked, forcing him to hurriedly shut the battery off. As he did, he seen flickers of red sparks, almost like lightning, crackle around Peter's hands as they clenched tightly back down at his sides.

—No no, stop!— Peter pleaded in his head, nausea rising as he seen the device spewing smoke.

While Eugene and Egon were eyeballing the still sparking laptop, Winston glanced over at Peter. Venkman's expression was one of guilt and panic, a hand pressed to his mouth and he edged slowly back until he eventually fled the room.

* * *

Janine came upstairs seconds after Venkman's escape, looking for Egon.

"Dr Spengler, can you look at the wiring in this place? That's the second time in the last ten minutes the powers gone all funny."

"I'll run some tests, Janine." Egon said at last "see if I can narrow it down."

Satisfied, she returned downstairs, but Egon had a feeling that the source of the problem wouldn't be so easy to fix.

* * *

Once he'd determined they weren't following him, Peter holed himself up in the attic. He let the comforting low-light of the single attic bulb blunt the exhaustion that weighed him down.

The doctors had been concerned when he'd insisted he be released, but like he'd said, they couldn't stop him. In the messenger bag slung over his shoulder were a change of bandages for the still-healing cuts on his wrists and ankles from his restraints. He hadn't realised until several days into his recovery, but the amount of wriggling and desperate thrashing he'd done in the grip of that nightmare pain had gouged quite deep into his skin.

Curling up atop the sheets on the mattress, he fancied they still held Ray's scent, not realising Ray had actually spent a night or two up here, dreaming of HIM. He thought about those blissful nights when they'd slept together and he longed for them now. But he didn't know what he was, not fully. Something was still wrong within him, what if he hurt Ray? He'd never forgive himself if he hurt someone so beautiful…

He drifted asleep after that, waking later on to find someone had gently draped a blanket over him. Set beside his bed was a familiar thermos full of Ray's special coffee…

"Ray..." he whispered, feeling the defences crack as days of suppressed emotion surged to the fore. For awhile the only sounds were his own, his grief, his fear…but eventually they petered out and he wiped his eyes with his sleeve, his ragged breathing the only sound.

At some point, he curled up under the blankets again and passed out, exhausted by the outburst.

Down below, during his crying jag, the power fluctuated wildly and Janine swore colourfully, but he was unaware of any of it.

* * *

Egon wondered where Peter had run off to and Ray said it was likely the attic. He sometimes retreated there at night to think…

"Why come here and not go to his apartment?" Janine asked as she zipped up her bag and prepared to head home.

"I don't know…" Ray shook his head "he said before he found the attic peaceful, maybe it just feels safer then an empty, echoing apartment?"

"Yeah, even if he won't fess up, he knows he's got us here." Winston and Egon shared nods and Ray managed a weak smile.

"Thanks, guys. I know this is all kinda weird and I'm probably biased, but-"

"Don't sweat it, Ray." Winston chuckled, passing him a mug of coffee.

"Indeed. There is no cause for concern; you always bring out people's better 'side', and it seems you have managed this same feat with Peter. I daresay you're the reason he didn't mercilessly annoy Eugene and myself?"

Ray turned a shade of pink and squeaked softly before nodding.

"Well, I know what he's like- and it didn't seem fair when we were-" he cleared his throat "anyway, yeah, I asked him to lay off."

"Im not even gonna ask how you managed that." Winston teased and Ray face-planted onto the table, squeaking again and hearing both his friends chuckle.

Sitting back up, he tried to calm himself down even though he knew he had to be red as a tomato. He thought back to that night he'd gone up there to bring coffee and he and Peter had wound up going to bed together. It'd been the most unexpectedly wonderful night of his life, one he wouldn't trade for the world.

As the other two observed Stantz, they noticed his attention span wander and a cute but dreamy grin slowly made its way across his face.

"Dude, your face." Winston said at last.

Ray facepalmed again as he realised what he'd been recalling.

"This. Is. Just. Adorable." Winston said softly to Egon, who smiled faintly and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I hate you guys." Ray whined, but inside he was grateful for the distraction. It took his mind of his fear he'd never see Venkman smile again...

* * *

Ray seemed to develop a sixth sense for when Peter was asleep or away from the attic as the days passed. Whenever Peter drifted awake or left his hideout in the attic to eat or wash, he'd find little things by the attic door on his return. Books, candy bars, more coffee.

He knew who they were from, a man with the biggest heart in all of New York.

—Ray..— He thought heavily. —I'm sorry..—

Egon and Winston tried in turns to coax him to talk or sit still for a scan, but Peter found himself unable to stand being around people he might potentially **HURT** and pushed them away as much as he could, thinking if they got mad enough the sympathy would stop. He shouted, swore, stormed off- and with the power surges that accompanied these outbursts, he was able to slip away while they were distracted. He knew they were trying to help, at a base level, but what hope did they have when even **HE** couldn't figure things out?

-Im supposed to be the shrink..- he thought as he fled back to the refuse and peace of the attic. At least here, he could unwind a little…

* * *

Watching as Peter raced away yet again, Egon sighed and shook his head. He knew he wasn't imagining things, there really was something in Peter's body language and eyes that said he **WANTED** help, that he wanted this to end; but something was stopping him from accepting what they offered.

"No luck?" Winston asked as he came across Egon standing in the hallway, staring intently into space. The genius shook his head, vision refocusing as he looked at Winston.

"The limited responses he gives indicates that whatever he's trying to keep hidden and suppressed, he believes it has the potential to put us _ALL_ at risk."

"Even more reason why we need to find out what they did to him. Nobody should be dealing with this kind of thing alone."

* * *

Winston noticed Egon was staying up night after night, trying every method he knew to discover a way to help Peter. After the third day dawned, Winston went downstairs to the phone, he knew just who he needed to call.

"Visitor residence, who am I talking to?" It was the man himself.

"Hay, glad I caught ya. It's Winston."

"Hey man, what's up?"

"I need you to do me a favour." Winston tapped a pencil on the edge of the desk.

"Okay, sure. What is it?"

"Drive over here, grab Egon and distract him for a night. Don't care what it is, just get him out of HQ; he's still working and it's been three days. Seriously, the guy needs a break."

"He still looking for a way to help Peter?"

"Yeah, man. He hates not being able to solve everything and even though they fight non-stop, he cares about Pete. Heck, we all do."

"Yeah, the place feels odd without him, like it's missing something. How's Ray doing?"

"He's sleeping a little better, but you can see a mile off that he's unhappy."

"Alright, I'll be over asap. Dad's away for a couple of days on a fishing trip, so Eeg can stay here."

"Thanks man. I feel like I should make a crass euphemism/innuendo, but I'm not anywhere near as good as Pete."

Eugene chuckled "I'll let him know he's overdue a batch when he recovers." He promised before saying goodbye and putting the phone down.

Winston stretched as he set the phone down, hearing his back click. He seen Ray heading for the door, dressed in civilian clothing.

"Off out?" He asked and Ray nodded, but he wouldn't say anything or quite meet Winston's eye. Zeddemore frowned as Ray slunk away, now what was he doing? Peter was at the HQ so he couldn't be going to see him…

* * *

Eugene showed up not long after that and Winston motioned him to go straight up.

He soon seen exactly what Winston meant. Egon didn't seem to have moved much, he didn't even react when Eugene walked in, just stared at the numerous pages tacked to the chalkboard.

Eugene strode forward, planting himself between the chalk and the board just as Egon lifted his hand to write- only to jab a certain someone on the nose.

"Eugene?!" he blustered, frowning "what're you doing?"

"Making sure you take a break." Eugene said; and before Egon could ask what on earth he meant, Eugene moved swiftly forward, scooping Egon up and draping him casually over his shoulder.

"Eugene-! Put me down this instant!" Egon squirmed but Eugene was stronger than he was, and his firm but gentle grip around Egon's back and upper legs prevented Egon from wriggling loose. Eventually he realised he wasn't going to get free and complained at length about his work as Eugene strode easily down the stairs. He spotted Winston sat at Janine's desk and flapped his arms about to get his attention.

"Winston-! Help. I'm being interrupted."

"I know." Winston said without looking up, merely turning the page of his magazine "I called him."

"Wha?! Traitor!" Egon fumed, which made Eugene crack up laughing. Egon folded his arms and glowered as he was set on his feet by the passenger side car door. Eugene disarmed him in seconds by kissing him quickly and saying "please, Eeg?"

Those two words, combined with the kiss and Eugene's worried eyes swayed Egon's heart and he nodded.

Thus it was that Egon was half-kidnapped and half-willingly-absconded with (and by) Eugene.

* * *

He seemed silent as they drove and Eugene worried he was….wait, did Egon sulk?

"I cannot find an answer if I cannot work." Egon said pointedly, seeming to read Eugene's glance.

"I understand that, Eeg. I'd suck at sports if I didn't practise. But if I do nothing _BUT_ practise, what's gonna happen? Burnout. That's what you're doing to that magnificent brain of yours. Hey, I wanna see doctor V back to annoying me about being head-over-heels in love with you too, Eeg, but you need to rest and if you're feeling frustrated, I can help."

Egon blushed, any remaining annoyance fading as Eugene brushed his hand along Egon's thigh as he hinted at the things he could do to him. His heart raced, it'd been awhile since they'd slept together. Between Peter's return and the usual workload, Egon had been kept very busy.

He asked where Eugene's dad was as they exited the car and walked into the house; Eugene smiled and repeated exactly what he'd told Winston.

"So we have the place _ALL_ to ourselves." he said seductively, stopping and drawing Egon in for a kiss. Egon groaned deeply, his willpower fluctuating as Eugene lavished him with kiss after kiss…

His face was flushed and his pulse racing as they parted; he pressed against Eugene, feeling some of the strain ease off his body as his lover held him.

It was still early, so Eugene suggested they have lunch outside in the garden where Eeg could get some fresh air. Egon was ambling along behind Eugene en-route to the kitchen, when he passed a mirror and came to a sudden halt.

"I, uh….do you have a spare razor?" he asked, seeing how bizarre he looked since he hadn't shaved in days. Eugene showed him upstairs, fetching all the things he thought Egon may need before leaving him to that while he prepared the picnic of sorts.

* * *

When Egon emerged, he looked spick and span, all neatly shaved and hair brushed so it fell loose instead of its normal immaculate style. He followed Eugene out to the garden where they spread out a blanket beneath a big oak tree and started in on the food Eugene had cobbled together from the kitchen. Eugene wrapped his arms around Egon, letting the genius rest back against his chest while his legs framed the doctor's slender body. It reminded him of how they'd landed when he'd caught Egon, on that first time they'd kissed properly and Egon had agreed to a date.

A big, fuzzy bumble bee drifted lazily over as they finished off the last of the sandwiches, landing on Egon's hand as he lifted it to reach for his drink. The two watched in relaxed curiosity as the bee ambled over the back of Egon's hand.

"Aww, he likes you." Eugene smiled and they watched it potter about for a few seconds more, then it buzzed its wings and flew away like a fuzzy helicopter.

"You must see some amazing insects at night." Egon mused, envying the countryside its bounty of things to study.

"Well, we could always come back out here tonight, have a drink and you can bug-watch all you like. I'll study the study-er."

Egon flushed as Eugene nuzzled his neck, tilting his head back to expose more of his collarbone, letting his mind be absorbed in the feel and taste of the lips roaming his skin.

Eugene's hands slipped under his shirt, tracing up Egon's chest and down to his hips. Egon arched his back, delighting in the shivers that raced up his back. His work **HAD** been at a standstill, and the idea of a break was appealing-

Eugene's hand slid round to the front of Egon's trousers, tracing down between his legs.

"We're the only property for miles around." Eugene whispered in his ear "we could do whatever we want.."

Egon twisted round to kiss him, oh he wanted alright. In a tangle of limbs and kisses, he swiftly found himself lying on his back atop the soft blanket, with Eugene unbuttoning his lab coat and then the shirt beneath.

Egon twined his fingers in Eugene's hair, kissing him heatedly before sliding his hands down Eugene's broad back, plucking his shirt free from his waistband…his lover's skin was so hot, the solid warmth of him making the stress of the last few days melt away for the time being.

He groaned happily as he felt the soft scratch of the blanket beneath now bare skin, felt Eugene's hands roaming over his body- he nuzzled Eugene's neck, feeling his pulse racing as he kissed his throat.

He clung tightly to Eugene now as his partner began his frankly mind-blowing preparations, gentle fingers touching and teasing, those firm hands exploring his body and brushing other sensitive spots so the pleasure all merged together.

The sounds of birdsong and the buzzing of insects melded together into background noise as Eugene guided Egon to his first climax with just his hands. Now for the main event…

Eugene took him slow and sweet, building up the speed and pleasure bit by bit. Egon moaned eagerly as he nuzzled into Eugene's shoulder, he'd never held out **THIS** long, but Eugene was drawing it out and he definitely liked it.

Hearing Egon gasping his name between deep moans of pleasure only made Eugene adore the sensitive doctor right to his core. Especially when he asked for more…

He held back a moment, then with one final hot-and-heavy thrust, he brought both himself and his precious doctor to climax.

He kissed Egon's forehead as he pulled out, the blanket rumpled and creased beneath them as they snuggled close.

"Mmm, that was amazing.." Egon sighed contentedly "I theorise I may have kept myself pent up for too long."

"It has been awhile," Eugene smiled, stroking Egon's hair and kissing his nose "but I'm glad I could help ease your burden."

Egon blushed, Eugene seemed to be completely enamoured with the way he experienced multiple orgasms, always finding new ways to bring him over the edge. He met Eugene's gaze now, kissing him softly.

"Thank you, Eugene..." he whispered, feeling warm and snug in his hold. A gentle breeze brushed over their skin and Egon smiled, the juxtaposition between the heat of his lover and the coolness of the breeze.

"For you, Eeg. Anytime." Eugene said happily, he'd missed these little interludes with his precocious Egon.

He nibbled on Egon's ear, hearing him moan sharply and feeling him shiver in pleasure. His hand slid down Egon's chest to his groin and Egon's sounds of pleasure took on a lustful edge. Drawing back, Eugene let his gaze drift down, a knowing smile tugging at his lips.

"Hmm, I think you still have some 'stress' left to dissipate, my dear Eeg."

"Ah-! I seem to have underestimated how easily I would become inadvertently aroused." Egon said in that adorable matter-of-fact way of his as he sat up. He blushed as Eugene got up and moved back, nudging his legs up and apart, was he-?

"Mm-hm," Eugene's eyes met Egon's, his longing for the doctor clear in his gaze "and this time, I want you to do something for me."

"W-what would that be?" Egon asked.

"Don't restrain yourself and don't stay quiet..." Eugene kissed Egon, nipping at his lower lip "I want to _HEAR_ you, Eeg."

And without another word, he settled back and down-

"Euge-aahh-!" Egon cut off with a low moan as Eugene worked on him in that talented way of his.

Sat like this, it sent even stronger surges up Egon's spine. He squirmed eagerly, biting his lip and drawing breath as he felt Eugene's hands settle on his hips, keeping him still.

Recalling Eugene's request, he didn't try to hold back his voice, trying to spell out how good this felt, but full sentences were beyond even his intellect right then. On some kind of instinct, he tangled his hands in Eugene's hair, then moved them to his shoulders, his body curving like a comma.

"Eugene, I- I can't hold on much longer-!" Egon cut off mid-sentence, his words having prompted Eugene to pick up the pace.

Birds flapped away in a burst of sound as Egon climaxed, his voice slightly hoarse. Eugene sat back, licking his lips and regarding the flushed Spengler sat before him.

"You have the cutest voice, Eeg." he praised "you sound so hot."

Egon kissed him, giving a happy sigh as they lay side by side again until it began to get cold and they gathered their clothing up and darted inside.

* * *

"Y'know, essentially we just streaked." Eugene joked as they made their way upstairs. Egon laughed, shaking his head as they reached Eugene's bedroom to drop their clothing off before heading to the shower.

"I'll add it to my list of things I never expected I would do."

"What's the top thing on the list?" Eugene asked and Egon went flame red and stared at the wall for several seconds before speaking.

"Have multiple orgasms and want more." he muttered, feeling his face heat up. He'd viewed it as something shameful for so long that he still kept some feelings in reserve.

Eugene grinned at this admission, grabbing Eeg in a kiss that near took his breath away.

"Well, anytime you want more, just let me know and I'll give as many as you can handle." He winked saucily at his lover.

Something about this promise made Egon's spine tingle and he smiled, saying he'd certainly keep that in mind.

* * *

That night, Eugene made good his promise and he and Egon sat outside, wrapped in blankets and clutching mugs of hot cocoa, watching the bugs darting about in the light filtering through the open kitchen door.

Fireflies swarmed around them and Egon smiled to watch them, the trails of light they left behind. He and Eugene shared sweet, cocoa-laced kisses, just relaxing in the solitude.

They slept in Eugene's bed, making love once again before falling asleep tangled in one anothers arms.

Egon returned home the next day, promising he'd call Eugene if there was any progress with Peter's situation.

* * *

On day number...Peter couldn't recall at this point, he'd just sunk into the fog and stayed there, he came across an envelope propped up by his bed when he returned from his shower.

In it was a handwritten note and a very intricate necklace. Ray had once quizzed Peter about his taste in music, being surprised to hear he liked the rock bank Metal Witch. The necklace bore a hand-crafted version of the bands logo. Peter held it in his hand as he opened the note.

 _"Peter-_

 _Guess who we met today? Their tour bus had been inhabited by a REALLY foul tempered spirit, but we got rid of it. When they asked if there was anything they could do to thank us, I thought of what you'd like most. I asked for a little souvenir for you and the lead dummer gave this to me, it s the one he wore to their last show, said he hoped it'd bring good luck._

 _Sleep well,_

 _Ray."_

Peter clutched the talisman tightly in his hand, he could feel all the affection poured into the letter, could hear Ray's gentle voice reading it aloud in his head. He was hit with an almost unbearable longing for the man; his voice, his kiss...even as that part of him that refused human contact since that night tried to object. He wondered if he'd ever get to lie with Ray again if the man knew the truth about him?

It'd been two weeks and he'd mostly kept to himself, avoiding any contact unless necessary. He'd told Janine he wasn't coming back to work for the foreseeable future, shaking his head and sounding strained when she asked why. He couldn't say it, and oddly, she didn't pester him, just nodded and said to let her know when he was done sitting on his ass. This succeeded in getting a faint chuckle from Peter, although it was a hollow copy of his former humour.

"-Peter."

"GAH!" Peter yelped and sat bolt upright on the bed, staring wide-eyed at the figure who'd suddenly appeared from behind the stack of boxes he used as a wall. It was Winston. Peter sighed softly and let the letter flutter to the bed, but clutched the necklace tightly, feeling it cutting into his palm.

"There's something you need to see." Winston said bluntly. Peter shook his head, but Winston strode over, grasping his sleeve and hauling him to his feet. He stared levelly at Peter, recalling what he'd said to Ray the night they'd gone to rescue him. Peter was notoriously stubborn, insistent on being beholden only to himself, even when it was bad for him. Sometimes he needed to be towed out of this comfort zone and that was Winston's intent.

"You can kick and scream and fight all you like Pete, but you need to see this. All I'm asking is that you come with me, then you can go back to being a hermit. Got it?"

Peter didn't say anything, just clutched the lifeline Ray's gift had quickly become. But finally, he seemed to read something in his fellow Ghostbuster's serious expression and nodded mutely.

* * *

Winston brought him outside to where his car waited and Peter fidgeted uneasily in the seat as they drove away from HQ, wondering what was going on. He clutched the necklace tightly as he watched the world stream by in the cars wake, feeling the nauseating panic fade just a little.

The thought finally occurred to him to wear it and he shakily managed to set it around his neck, feeling its reassuring weight come to rest against his collarbone. As he set his hands on his lap, he seen the faint scars left from the restraints. They weren't hugely visible, but he self-conciously tugged his sleeves down to cover them anyway.

"We're here." Winston announced and Peter snapped out of his daze. They were parked on what looked to be a fairly nondescript road, lined by buildings that all seemed to be private offices. The engine hummed softly, the faint vibrations barely noticeable.

"There's nothing here, what game are you playing, Winston?" Peter said sharply, glaring at his friend, but Winston didn't seem fazed at all by the anger directed at him, merely nodding at something over Pete's shoulder on the street.

"Just watch that door there." Winston gestured to the office a few doors down from where they were parked. Peter waited, the silence ringing in his ears and body coiled like a spring ready to snap, what was he looking for-?

Then the door opened and two figures emerged. One looked like a doctor, the other-

"Ray?" Peter whispered softly, that building tension dissipating in a second as shock took over. Why were they spying on Ray?

He seen Ray shake the doctor's hand, managing a shaken smile. Even though he knew Stantz had been sleeping better as of late, Winston could still see how emotionally drained Ray was. It showed in the lacklustre set of his smile, the carefully hidden bags under his eyes...

"What's he doing...where is this?" Peter asked, voice peaking in alarm as he grasped at straws. His glance darted from Ray to Winston now, demanding an explanation. Winston waited until Ray was out of sight then turned to face Peter's glare with unflinching determination.

"That is doctor Silverstream. He's an expert in PTSD and trauma, Pete."

"Trauma-? What, how-? Did something happen to Raymond?" Peter snapped, his hands trembling a little as he glared at Winston. Again, Winston waited a full three seconds to deliver his answer, making Peter feel both frightened and angry at the same time.

"Winston-?!"

"He's not doing it for himself, Pete. He's doing it for _YOU_."

"What?" Peter whispered. It didn't make sense, why-?

-But it does make sense..- that part of his brain that had been attacked by the events of that night, the part where his old self tried pathetically to recover, spoke up now. -you know he wouldn't abandon you.-

This felt like too much and he uttered an angry snarl, hunching over in the seat, pressing the heels of his hands into his forehead as if it'd hold back the pressure building there. Winston hurriedly shut the car off, knowing by now that these emotional-led surges caused everything electrical to wig out. The car parked in front of them flashed its lights rapidly, a shrill beeping filling the air for a second before it stilled. Winston sighed in relief, the burst had been minimal, Pete was likely too tired to rally much strength behind it.

Now, he waited patiently until Peter's breathing slowed a little and he seemed to recover enough to sit back up straight, hands gripping his seat tightly. It was worrying them all, Winston knew, to see Peter like this. He'd always been the one who'd kept pushing **THEM** , either by sarcasm or by annoying them into doing things they'd told themselves they couldn't. He was simultaneously the best and worst motivator, in the conventional sense anyway. When everyone else was angry or lost, he just smiled and offered a smug, knowing plan. Then boasted about it for days afterwards.

It wasn't until this incident had seemingly buried that side of Venkman that they'd come to see how big a difference he made, even Janine said things weren't the same without him teasing her about….everything.

"He's going all out to find a way to reach you, Pete." Winston regarded the stunned, silenced Venkman now "whatever happened to you in there, whatever it is you think you've become, he's not seeing anything different. He's been spending every spare day he has visiting this guy, all to try find a way to stop you tearing yourself apart."

The realisation was enough to make Peter feel dizzy and he barely managed to fumble for the button to open the window and let in some fresh air before he blacked out from panic. His fringe flopped over his face and Winston noticed he clearly hadn't gotten it cut in all that time, showing how secluded he'd become.

"Talk to me, Pete. What's going on?" Winston said firmly.

Peter closed his eyes, resting his head in his hands. The words came at last, faltering at first but soon it was all spilling out of him.

"The ones who kidnapped me...t-they worked for my father. He was some kind of modern-day wizard, a total fruitcake who made a bargain with some high-level demon. When I was a kid, he tried to enact that same ritual but it was interrupted by my mother."

"Your dad's alive?" Winston asked, dumbfounded. Peter nodded, laughing bitterly a second later.

"He's not even human anymore. Ivan informed me that he became a demon the night he signed that agreement. He planned to enhance his power by sacrificing...me."

Silence rang in the car.

"OK, first off, your father's an a-hole, Second; your father's an a-hole. I realise that's the same point, but it was such a big one I felt it was worth mentioning twice." Winston said angrily. Peter chuckled emptily then continued, running a hand through his hair with a shaken sigh.

"Some of the power had already bled into me when I was taken away from the ritual by my mother and her accomplices. Power that just stayed asleep all these years, until they tried to wake it back up and succeeded. You've noticed the power surges since I left the hospital, don't lie to me."

"Oh I'm aware, you've been freaking Janine out for days!"

"Don't you get it Winston? Since that ceremony, I'm not technically human anymore."

"Who is?" Winston said, making Peter stare incredulously at him.

"Are you even listening?!" he said sharply, waving a hand in the other Ghostbusters face "I'm a god damn inhuman _THING_ , Winston. I probably belong in the containment unit-"

Winston caught Venkman's wrist mid wave, but on seeing him tense up, he let go and Peter stared mutely at him. The fire in Zeddemore's stare had silenced any further fury he had inside him.

"No, what I heard was 'my dads a jerk, I got zapped by a bit of demon power and now it's awake again.' None of that says "hi, I'm Pete Venkman, I'm not human.' You're not some sub-human monster, you're just a guy who got stuck with some weird-ass powers. You should really borrow some of Ray's comic books, they're full of stories like that."

Peter glanced back out the window at where the building Ray had exited from seemed to loom over the rest of the street. Was it really that simple? He shook his head, unwilling to chance it.

"None of that matters if I end up hurting him." He said stiffly "I'm not blind, I know Egon's been measuring the air around me every time I lose my temper. I seen those sparks when I set his laptop on fire...I know its getting worse. If I hurt anyone, most of all Ray- I'm not risking it Winston. Not now, not ever."

Silence rang and for one gleaming moment Peter thought he'd won, then-

"Did it ever occur to you, you total and utter blockhead, that maybe letting someone help you might, well, _HELP_ you?" Winston shot back, making Peter blink, eyebrows raised.

But he found he couldn't respond, just glanced down at his hands as they rested on his lap. Winston sighed, he'd done what he could.

"Let's get going, I gotta grab some groceries for the firehouse before we go back."

* * *

Peter didn't say a word as they drove, but one hand did move to his chest where the necklace rested. The movement registered on Winston's peripheral vision and he felt there was hope there.

He'd come up into the attic in time to see Peter holding said necklace and the letter, something close to actual hope on his face. That was when he'd decided he wasn't taking no for answer today, Peter was going to see what he'd found out; one way or another. Winston hadn't realised Peter liked that band until he'd put together Ray mentioning a 'close friend' was a fan when they'd been speaking to the Metal Witch band members after the bust, then seeing Peter with the necklace.

* * *

To his surprise, Peter actually came with him into the market. He remained all but silent as he trailed absently along behind Winston, but it was more exposure to the world then he'd taken in weeks. The necklace around his neck caught the light as well as the eye of a young woman in one of the aisles as Peter drifted about on his own.

"Oh my gosh- where did you get that?!" she gushed, seeing the man wearing it jump slightly, an odd expression on his face as she looked at him. Up close, she couldn't help think he looked familiar...

"W-what? Oh, right." Peter looked down at the necklace he wore "It was a gift from one of my co-workers."

"He got to see Metal Witch? That's so cool, it looks just like the lead drummer's-"

Recalling Ray's letter, Peter wanted to say it **WAS** , but that somehow it felt like it would lessen the nature of the gift.

"Yeah, he had to listen to me banging on about them enough, that he knew who my favourite was."

She grinned "I love that song 'Barricade on fire.' Its all about breaking free and who doesn't wanna do that these days?"

She had a point, Peter thought and nodded as he combined this with Winston's reveal to him not half an hour before.

"Hey, Peter!" Speaking of..

Peter turned to see Winston standing at the end of the aisle "what's that candy Ray's always buying? Egon wrote the shopping list, and no offence to the guy, but he has terrible handwriting."

"Uhh….besides StayPuft marshmallows?" Peter paused to think, recalling that candy bar Ray had given him after he'd picked him up from the hospital. He shrugged and suggested this to Winston, who nodded.

The woman blinked, she knew those names. A closer stare at the gentleman in front her made all the pieces click into place. His hair had grown a bit longer and both he and Winston were in plain clothes, but there was no denying..

"Sweet merciful crap, you're the Ghostbusters!" she clapped her hands, making Winston smile and come over to join them.

"Yup, that's us."

She beamed at them, rummaging in her bag for something;

"I totally didn't recognise you doctor Venkman, you changed your look!"

"Actually I just haven't been to the barbers in weeks. Been….busy." Peter lied smoothly.

The woman held up a notebook, with a hopeful grin on her face, asking if she might have their autographs. Winston seen Peter smile softly as he nodded, perhaps he missed his work after all this time away? He hoped so…

She gave Peter an extra smile as they made to continue their shopping, saying he should check the concert listings, MW were gonna post soon and maybe there'd be a concert here in New York?

* * *

"Bet that's made her day!" Winston chuckled to Peter as they got back into the car, both clutching a soda. Peter had to admit he'd missed this sugary nonsense fluid, he'd mostly been drinking coffee non-stop.

He managed a faint smile now "she was asking about that necklace Ray left for me."

"Oh yeah, from that band? Can't say I'm into that, but they were nice guys! Ray looked pretty excited to talk to them, it makes sense he picked it up from you."

"I did worry I was a bad influence on him." Peter said wryly, a faint attempt at sarcasm, a muscle that hadn't been flexed in quite some time.

"Well, he hasn't started making innuendoes out of everything, so I think we're safe for now."

Peter's heart ached as he uttered a chuckle and he felt a pricking pain behind his eyes as he thought of Ray. He fell silent, staring out the window once more…

* * *

He hung back as Winston unpacked the groceries, leaning against the counter and staring into space until Ray and Egon came in.

"Ooh, are those the choco- Peter!" Ray's tone was a mix of surprise and delight as his gaze went from candy to the object of his affections.

Peter blinked as Ray approached him, the candy forgotten, apparently. Seeing the almost cautious way he did it made Venkman realise how much he'd been rejecting all of his friends, not just Raymond. How they were stepping tentatively around him in fear of igniting his temper..guilt fought with shame and he bit his lip.

"Hey.." Ray smiled, but there was an 'are you OK?' look in his eyes as he stood in front of Peter. Egon began assisting Winston with the shopping, his eyes lighting up when he seen the box of twinkies.

Peter managed a small smile as his world narrowed to the one in front of him "Ray….hay.."

Ray looked at the clock "you wanna stay for lunch? I'm making Pancakes!"

Peter hesitated, part of him just wanted to stay in the attic and not be disturbed; but when he thought back to seeing Ray exiting that office, knowing he'd been spending all his time and probably money trying to help _HIM_ \- it made him pause. He seen the hope in Ray's eyes and with a herculean effort, he nodded.

"Sounds good." He said softly.

Ray looked so heartbreakingly relieved that it made Peter feel guilty all over again. But this was briefly forgotten as Ray snagged the edge of his sleeve, his fingertips just brushing Peter's skin as he guided him to the table.

Peter sat down, watching and listening to the others as Winston and Egon discussed the genius' latest thingy and Ray made the pancakes. The smell brought back lots of good memories, including that eating contest he and Ray had started. Which Egon had won, proving his stomach was either a black hole or a bottomless pit, or...

"It isn't a trash compacter, either." Egon put in now, seeing the reflective smile briefly gracing Peter's face.

Ray giggled, he knew what that referred to, glancing briefly at Peter and smiling as he flipped the pancakes with expert ease. Soon they were ready and Ray stacked numerous condiments to go on top, including sugar sprinkles and whipped cream.

They were delicious, soft and fluffy. Peter tucked into them, feeling oddly relaxed. The voices of his friends blurred together to form a soft-spoken lullaby to the exhausted Peter and he yawned sleepily.

"Pete? You ok?" he blinked awake again as Winston waved a hand at him, but not too close.

"Wha...uhm..." Peter rubbed his forehead, feeling abruptly drained "I'm going to go lie down."

"Sleep well." Ray said, just softly enough for him to hear. A glance back allowed Peter to meet Ray's eyes, the first tremors of a smile flittered across his face and he nodded silently.

The others watched him leave, waiting until they knew he was far enough away before talking.

"He's finally leaving that bolt-hole of his, thats good." Egon remarked.

"Yeah, I persuaded him to come shopping, he's barely moved since discharging himself from the hospital." Winston pointed out.

"By 'persuaded', you mean 'gave him no choice', don't you?" Egon asked and Ray looked mildly alarmed. But he realised they had a point, you couldn't always break someones habits without being a little harsh…

"Pretty much. But it was progress. While we were in the store, a young woman came up to Peter, asking about that necklace he was wearing. He seemed a little happier after putting it on as we were driving."

The fact it'd made Peter feel better was a big relief to Ray. Now if he could just find that magic object that'd return his friend and lovers missing heart…

"Don't worry Ray, it'll happen." Winston said, seeing the worry written over his face.

"It's been weeks, Winston and I still can't get through to him. What if the damage is too great..?" He broke off, vision blurring.

"I don't think so." Egon piped up, making Ray blink at him "this lunchtime alone I've seen glimpses of his usual self drifting to the surface. He looked a little brighter when you greeted him _AND_ when you set the pancakes down. It's all there, but something major is stalling his recovery."

"Contact." Ray whispered softly and the others nodded silently. Ray shook his head and sighed, drumming his fingers on the table top as he pondered the matter for the millionth time.

"I thought it was just shock on waking back up in there, but he's been lashing out every time someone gets too close. They must've have tortured him or something...but when I try to ask him, it seems to hurt so much that he.."

"Short-circuits." Winston finished, Ray nodding silently.

"He won't talk about it, so what can we do?" Egon sighed "it's an impasse. As I have witnessed, attempts to make him reveal what's bothering him always result in Peter throwing every wall he has up, which leads to the short-circuiting you speak of."

But hope was on the horizon…

* * *

That night, Peter found himself waking up at 2 in the morning, needing a drink after another nightmare. Red flames surrounding him and an unseen voice telling him he was going to fulfil his purpose-

He stumbled down to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water and downing it in one and uttering a quiet hiccup. He was about to scurry back upstairs when he seen a note tacked to the fridge.

 _"- Get spices for Peter's coffee._

 _-marshmallows?"_

He pressed his forehead against the top of the fridge, head swimming. Every fibre of Ray's being was being devoted to him….why couldn't he just-?

-What do you want him to do? Abandon you?- his brain said –that's BS and you know it. You know how you feel.-

Peter drifted over to sit beneath one of the tall narrow windows in the kitchen, the moonlight sent long rectangles of silvery light across the floor ahead of him, the stairwell painted in darkness.

He rested his head on his knees, letting the silence ring around him as he hoped for a miracle-

"Peter?"

In a repeat of that first morning after, Peter glanced up to see Ray stood not far from him. Only this time he wore pyjamas and his hair was ruffled from tossing and turning in the throes of restless sleep.

Peter looked at him, seeing every act of kindness Ray had done for him, before and after his abduction. Somehow, he was able to make himself pat the floor beside him hopefully. Ray's eyes widened, hope filling them as he hastened over to sit beside Peter, leaving about a foot or so between them. He set his hands on the floor, tracing the grooves in the wood.

He didn't say anything, afraid he'd disturb this rare show of relaxation from the stressed Peter.

"My mother saved me from them before, a long time ago." Peter murmured. "My father was apparently some modern-day wizard freak, and when his deal with a demon didn't get him as much power as he wanted, the demon offered him an alternative; Sacrifice his son and he'd give him even more."

Ray felt like the floor had dropped out from under him. Peter's father had done that?!

How…?

"But my mother interrupted the ceremony, got me away from there. Until recently, that cult didn't know I still existed and whatever she did erased any memory I had save for a few fragments of her. Then their leader, my father, seen the Ghostbusters on TV and he recognised me. That was when he set that whole plan in motion."

He drew a shaky breath, the more painful part was still to come.

"She intervened in time to stop the demon showing up, but not soon enough to stop some of the power leeching into my body. Whatever she did, it left me blissfully unaware. All these years, Ray and I've never even been fully human. I don't know what I am! You've seen those fluctuations every time I got angry, I cant even control it."

"Peter…" Ray felt about to cry, it was hurting him to see Peter so miserable.

"You don't want to get any closer Ray, what if I end up hurting you? I'd never forgive myself, so I wont take that chance! I was a fool, I let myself get tricked-"

"How? You didn't know they were going to kidnap you-" Ray began, but Peter shook his head, voice choking painfully as he interrupted.

"No, I don't mean that. I mean Ivan. He told me one last thing before the ritual began, he knew I'd likely be dead by the rituals end, so he figured he'd 'get some use' out of me before that. I was absolutely nothing to him, little more than something he could stick his dick in."

Ray **WAS** crying now, he could see the pain this caused Peter, but he kept silent, knowing there was more.

"Right up until the ceremony started, he was taunting me, groping me, saying he'd miss _SCREWING_ me. It made my skin crawl that I'd ever let him touch me. I felt disgusting, I-"

He broke down then, allowing the dam that'd been holding this back to finally open. This sense of self-loathing had been eating away at him like acid…how would Ray view him now?!

"Do you understand now, Ray?" he choked out as the flood finally ceased and he could draw breath again.

"Yes." Ray said, his voice choked from crying. Peter looked up then, seeing sympathy but also relief.

"Ray..?" he asked, sensing there was more to his agreement then just that word.

"I understand Peter, I understand you were scared and angry that your own dad did this to you, that those creeps hurt you and told you that you were nothing. That asshole was _TRYING_ to hurt you, he'd have said anything to cause you pain." He shook his head, fresh tears filling sympathetic eyes "You are _NOT_ worthless, Peter Venkman. You are worth the world to a lot of people. Your mother saved you because she cared deeply about you, all of _US_ refused to give up finding you because we're your friends and I wont leave you to suffer alone because I love you."

Peter stared in shock, Ray….loved him?

"D-didn't you hear me? I'm-"

"You're _YOU_." Ray said, mimicking Winston in refusing to be swayed by Peter's fear "you aren't a demon, or a monster. You have some power, yes, but that's all. You're still the same composition of molecules, atoms and whatnot as you were those nights we spent together. The only difference between then and now is your memory; you remember you have this power and now its come to the surface. Yeah it's a little haywire, but its been suppressed for look how many years, of course it's going to be a bit skittish. But it'll be all right Peter, because you're not alone and I haven't changed how I feel about you. All I want to do is get rid of what's hurting you and I will do whatever it takes to get the real you back."

Peter wiped his sleeve over his eyes, Ray's words were like a shockwave. Memories of the trip he'd taken with Winston flittered into his brain now..

"W-winston showed me- that is, he drove us out to that office, I seen you talking to that doctor. You were trying to…"

"To find out what I could do, of course. You did nothing to deserve this, Peter and I sure as heck wasn't going to let that bunch of weirdos rob you of who you are."

Ray stared into the distance, thinking back over everything he'd learned from the books, from that doctor…

He felt warmth brush his hand and blinked. Looking down, what he seen made his heart ache.

Peter had silently shuffled just a little closer, reached out and lightly set his hand atop Ray's.

Ray turned his hand so that his palm faced upwards, feeling the minute tremble of Peter's hand as he threaded his fingers through Ray's.

"You're so warm." Peter whispered.

Ray squeezed his hand gently, but Peter didn't pull away, so he chanced edging a little closer until they were shoulder-to-shoulder. Peter looked at him, his eyes full of hope for the first time Ray had seen since the incident.

"See? You're safe." Ray whispered "you're amazing, you're the world to me and you're wanted. Nothing has changed Peter, I'm not leaving, remember?"

Peter looked close to collapse and Ray chanced shifting to face him and extending his other arm out to Peter, hoping against hope that he could-

Soon as his hand brushed Peter's shoulder, Venkman hesitated a moment, then folded into Ray's embrace, letting Ray draw him close to rest against his chest.

Ray heard Peter's breath hitch in his throat as the man battled the trauma-induced fear he'd been left with. Carefully, slowly, he settled a hand on Peter's back, rubbing it reassuringly.

Peter pressed against Ray, fighting that irrational fear that said he shouldn't let anyone touch him. That was just another of Ivan's lies, designed to break and humiliate him. Ray had never hurt him, he had always seen the best in him, even when Peter himself hadn't been convinced it was there.

Gradually the tremors subsided and he lifted his head to nuzzle Ray's neck, breathing in the scent of his skin. He'd missed it so badly, missed the warmth of him.

As if in a daze, he placed a tentative kiss against Ray's neck, feeling something stronger than fear pierce the haze in his mind. Affection. Desire.

Love.

Ray's arms were wrapped gently around him, letting him breathe but keeping him safe all the same. Peter moved his hands, linking them at Ray's lower back. He felt warm and solid, something Peter could anchor himself with.

Ray was watching all this with hope and relief written over his face. Peter was tentative, hesitant, but he was allowing contact and affection.

"Raymond." Peter whispered, his voice brushing the man's ear.

"I'm here, Peter. I'm not leaving, take all the time you need." Ray assured him, continuing to rub Venkman's back gently.

Peter finally lifted his head so their eyes met, staring at Ray with a look of hopeful yet anxious intent. Ray placed a hand against Peter's cheek, caressing it gently with his thumb. Peter's hand moved so it was linked with his, keeping it held to his cheek.

They were so close that Ray could see the way the moonlight glinted off individual strands of hair, highlighted his dark brown eyes.

He thought his heart was going to stop when Peter guided his hand round to the back of his neck, letting it rest there as he closed the distance and lightly kissed Ray.

Ray uttered a soft groan, he'd almost forgotten what his kiss was like; the last two weeks had felt like an eternity, parted from his friend.

So he pressed into the kiss, ever so slightly deepening it. Peter braced his hands on Ray's shoulders, his breathing a little faster as they parted.

"You OK?" Ray asked and Peter nodded, suddenly unsure how to proceed...

"Mind if I kiss you back?" Ray said in that cute, teasing way of his. Not certain of what to say, Peter just nodded, hoping the unspoken wish was readable in his face.

Ray pressed his lips to his lover's once more, hearing Peter utter a soft moan of tentative pleasure. Another kiss followed that one and then another...

Peter shifted how he was sat, with Ray instinctively helping settle him so he was sat atop his lap. They parted again and Peter flushed, must he seem crazy? But Ray just looked at him with that same look of affection and fondness that had drawn Peter to him at the start.

It felt like he'd finally woken after a long sleep, the world back in focus again. It had been akin to drowning beneath the waves and that kiss had literally restarted his body. He kissed Ray firmly, putting all that longing and affection into the gesture and hearing Ray groan softly into the kiss, his hands coming to rest at Peter's waist.

The kisses grew more passionate as Peter grew more relaxed, the pair only snatching brief gasps of air before resuming. For Peter, it felt like rediscovering those feelings from the start of their relationship. He wanted, no- needed more and Ray returned each kiss with a fervour that sent long-forgotten chills up Peter's back. Without thinking, Ray slipped his hands under Peter's shirt, caressing his skin as he felt Peter's tongue shyly brush his lips…

Peter made a faint noise and Ray hastily moved his hands, opening his mouth to apologise as Venkman drew back, only for Peter to speak up;

"Don't stop, please." Peter said softly, kissing Ray and meeting his friend's concerned hazel eyes when he released him.

"Peter, if it's making you feel unc-" Ray began, but stopped as Peter shook his head firmly.

"It's not," Peter vowed "I won't lie, I'm scared, but I know this much; if I don't beat this now, I don't think I'll have the strength to do it again. I need you, Ray." He closed his eyes, indulging in the warmth of Ray's skin, the scent of him. He'd taught himself to rely **ONLY** on himself, but maybe it was time that changed...

"I know it sounds crazy but- ahh.."

He cut off with a shiver of delight as he felt Ray's hands press to his back, palms flat as he'd always done. A memory flashed through Peter's mind, of that conversation in Ray's bed and how he'd teased that he didn't mind Ray leaving a mark on him.

He nuzzled Ray's neck as those hands gently moved up his back, coming to rest between his shoulder blades. Ray's pulse was reassuring, its rhythm soothing to Peter as he kissed beneath his lover's ear. His shirt was bunched up at Stantz's wrists, the night air of the kitchen cooling the light dusting of sweat on his skin. The craziest idea came into Peter's mind, he needed Ray to do one more thing for him…

-I need to overwrite every bad memory, including those ones. The ones where _HE_ dominated _ME_.-

"Ray…" he murmured, making Ray draw back to meet his eyes. He slid his hands back down to Peter's sides, thumbs rubbing gently against his skin.

"You OK?" Ray asked softly, upon seeing something in Peter's eyes, was he nervous?

"I need something from you, Ray." Peter kissed him softly, heart pounding heavily "I need.."

He leaned in and whispered his wish in Ray's ear.

Ray flushed, could he fulfil that request? He'd never done it…

But one look at Peter's face, one glance at the longing there; coupled with the way he was fighting something that'd terrorised him for weeks-

Ray knew he'd find a way to be confident if it meant saving Peter.

"Of course." He answered, seeing actual tears of relief in Peter's eyes as he nodded.

He helped Peter to his feet now, Venkman's hand clasped in his as they silently made their way back to the attic.

Every few steps, one would snag the other in a kiss, as if afraid to part for long. Ray's head was spinning, he'd started to fear that Peter would never return from that deep depression he'd been in since returning home. Yet here he was, hands entwined and lips hating to part for long...

Something had jump-started him again, was it whatever Winston had said to him?

* * *

He pulled Peter against him as he straightened up from closing the attic door, feeling Venkman press eagerly into his embrace. His hands slipped under Peter's shirt as they stood there, gently sliding the worn fabric up and over his head. Peter gave a faint little shiver as the cooler air of the attic washed over his skin. The shirt dropped soundlessly to the floor by their feet as Ray stepped back, eyeing the lines and curves of Peter's body, down to where the worn jeans he was wearing rested on his hips.

An intense shiver ran up Peter's back, how long had it been since someone had looked at **HIM** this way? Even that look of lust on Ivan's face had been a lie, all he'd seen was a target.

-No, I don't want to remember him anymore!— Peter thought defiantly, brushing the memory aside. Those traitorous thoughts about being inhuman began to slip away like water down a windowpane as Ray linked his fingers in Peter's and pulled them ever closer to the bed.

It was like a dance, Ray leading him, each step bringing them closer to one another. A few steps then another kiss, a few steps more and then Ray's gentle hands were unbuckling Peter's belt and letting his trousers crumple to the floor. Peter stepped out of them, wrapping one arm around Ray's neck while the other hooked over the collar of Ray's button-down pyjama shirt, undoing all the buttons in one swift, downward swipe. Ray shrugged it off, throwing it aside as Peter's hands linked at the base of his neck.

Ray let his hands brush over his lover's rear, before he braced his hands under Peter's thighs and lifted him up, cradling him against his chest.

"Ray.." Peter said softly as the younger man pressed a kiss to his chest, then nuzzled his collarbone.

"Mmm?" Ray enquired, kissing Peter's throat now, feeling his pulse fluttering beneath his skin.

"I missed you." Peter closed his eyes, tangling his fingers in Ray's hair as a delicious shiver ran up his back. It was true, he'd been so lost in the devastation of having who he was questioned right down to his parentage, that he'd forgotten the good things. His friends, his lover, his **JOB**.

"I'm here now and I'm not leaving you, Peter." Ray promised once more. Peter held tightly to him as Ray ceased his kisses and carried him the rest of the distance to the bed, setting him down atop the blankets.

A brief glance told Ray that Peter had been keeping the little gifts he'd left for him, books were stacked in a neat pile, discarded candy bar wrappers filled the waste basket and there, folded by the pillow was the letter Ray had left with the necklace.

Speaking of, he looked at it now as he sat back to remove the last article of clothing from Venkman. It rested in the hollow of his throat, the light making the intricate detail shine like a star. He teasingly removed the man's underwear, tracing his fingers along Peter's legs as he admired him.

He spotted that well-hidden tube that Peter had used for him that first night and reached for it now.

Seeing what he was holding, Peter felt his heart pick up and he closed his hand over Ray's, his eyes meeting Stantz's.

"You don't need to use that." He murmured "I've done this plenty of times-"

But Ray cutely shook his head, shifting forward and bringing Peter's hand to his lips to kiss it.

"Let _ME_ take care of it, Peter. You did it for me, remember?" he asked hopefully.

Peter opened his mouth to say of course he'd prepared him, it'd been Ray's first-

Then it occurred to him that in a way, this was a first for **HIM**. This was the first time that someone he wanted so strongly was the one taking him, so he nodded and let his hand fall back to the bed as Ray continued opening the tube. The liquid gleamed as Stantz let it coat his fingers, before pressing them against that most intimate spot.

Peter had been serious when he'd said he was an old hand at this, but the moment he felt Ray's fingers begin to explore him, he couldn't hold back a low, aroused moan as a dizzying surge of heat ran down his spine to between his legs. He'd taken this for granted, telling himself it was pointless after the first few instances…

He scrunched the blanket beneath him as Ray did more then any other had done, but that was what Peter loved about him. He knew about Peter's past, how he'd made a game of no-strings attached sex, but he didn't think anything unkind of it...

Ray continued, heart racing at how cute Peter was as he responded so eagerly to what Ray was doing.

-I Lov- – the thought cut off as Ray ceased his preparations, kissing Peter once more before settling his hands at his hips and lifting them just a little…

The sharp cry of pleasure Peter uttered made Ray's heart pound, along with the sensation of how hot his lover's body was, both inside and out. Recalling the way Peter had been so gentle with HIM on that initial night, he mimicked his actions now, listening to how Peter's breath hitched in his throat as Ray nuzzled him.

"Mmmh, gonna be completely shameless here..." Peter panted as Ray was at last fully in, their eyes meeting as Stantz braced his hands either side of Peter's head "Wow, snug."

Ray blushed, getting the hint in Peter's words. He kissed Venkman once more before he began.

He was a little shy at first, he **WAS** a novice at this after all, but the way Peter called his name in that husky voice of his; the way he bit his lip and dug his heels in so every thrust hit that sweet spot-

Ray soon began moving faster and harder. Peter groaned eagerly in response, urging him on and wrapping his arms around his shoulders; breathing in the scent of his skin as he let the act fill every sense he had. Sound, sight...taste, all of them. The solid warmth of Raymond's body, the point where they were connected, the feel of his lips as he kissed Peter- so many memories came back in a heady rush. The nights they'd shared, the quick kisses and private moments they'd snuck together in the firehouse…

He nibbled on Ray's ear as the man settled into a hot and heavy rhythm. This sent a lustful shiver up Ray's spine and Peter uttered a near feral growl of longing as he felt him pick up the pace, the rhythm getting faster and hotter. The peak soon approached and Peter didn't try to hold back, he needed this-

"Raymond-!" Peter squeezed Ray's shoulders tightly as he felt his first climax in so long hit him **HARD** like a thunderclap and it was enough to make him feel light-headed, arching his back to press against his partner's chest. Even in his state of bliss, he felt Ray finish with one last thrust into him, heard Stantz gasp his name, over and over…

Silence fell and they lay still for a few moments, the sound of their breathing intermingling as they got their heartbeats under control. They lay tangled in each other atop the bed, drained but satisfied.

"Peter?" Ray asked softly as he got his breath back, feeling Peter's chest rising and falling rapidly beneath him "was t-that-?" he was cut off mid question by Peter kissing him so heatedly that it took his breath away.

"That was one _HELL_ of a ride." Peter said as they parted, with a gleam in his eyes that set Ray's pulse into overdrive. THIS was his Peter, behind the lingering exhaustion there was the start of that flirtatious smile and that desire in his eyes. Ray kissed Venkman deeply as he slowly, gently pulled out of his lover, Peter's moan of pleasure muffled by his lips.

He drew the blankets over them, settling himself on his back so Peter could rest against him. His eyes met Peter's and he blushed, he almost couldn't believe he'd just taken the dominant role and going by the look in Peter's eyes as he traced a finger up Ray's chest; Venkman was VERY satisfied.

Peter began to drift asleep as Ray rubbed his back in rhythmic caresses.

"Ray?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Yes, Peter?" Ray asked, studying the way Venkman could hardly keep his eyes open, eyelashes shuttering against his skin.

"Thank you…for staying." Peter whispered as he drifted into a deep sleep.

Ray's heart ached affectionately as he studied the slumbering Ghostbuster.

"Anytime, Peter.." he promised, letting his own eyes close as he let sleep take over him.


	8. Recovery

Ray woke up as his internal body clock told him it was time to go make breakfast and he began to stir out of habit-

That schedule was tossed rudely out on its ass when he felt the warmth of Venkman's body entwined with his own. He stilled his movement, settling back against the makeshift bed as he let his eyes roam down Peter's body, to where the blankets hung just at his hips. Last night…

-You asked ME to make love to you, Peter. I never thought i'd be able to satisfy you the way you did me, but the way you called my name...It was amazing...- Ray sighed moonily, feeling giddy with happiness. Sweetest of all was that before he'd fallen asleep, Peter had thanked him. There'd been so much said in those two words, relief and gratitude mixed with pleasure and need…

-I was finally able to help him..- Ray thought soberly as he reflected on that gentle platitude. It wasn't just that Peter had needed a demonstration that he could trust again, it was also a need to erase what those thugs had put in his head when they'd kidnapped him.

Touch and intimacy were things he deserved, not things to loathe because of that lying, cheating scumbag that'd tricked him into a relationship at the start of all this.

His gaze settled on Peter's slumbering features, and he looked so at peace and content that Ray didn't want to disturb him. So he lay awake, listening to the soft rustle of Peter's breath as it brushed against his neck. He hoped this would be the start of his partner's recovery, that those memories that Ivan scum-bag had imprinted with his torture would fade and crumble to dust.

Peter murmured something in his sleep now, pressing even closer to Ray as he drifted awake. Sleepy deep brown eyes focused on his lover, who stroked strands of hair away from his eyes and smiled softly.

"Morning, you.." Ray whispered, mimicking the way Peter addressed HIM in the mornings after.

"Raymond..?" Peter asked drowsily as he looked up at him, taking in the sight of his ever patient lover.

Ray nodded and drew Peter into a sitting position against his chest as he sat up, with his back resting against the boxes stacked around their 'bed'. Peter settled comfortably against his partner, uttering a soft sigh. It hadn't been a dream then, Ray really had stumbled across him in the kitchen on the verge of giving up...and had rescued him from the darkness.

—I was hoping for a miracle and along came Ray. I think the symbolisms pretty obvious.— He thought, tracing a fingertip over Stantz's collarbone. A finger tipped his chin up and Ray's lips brushed his teasingly, seamlessly melting into a full-on kiss. Peter pressed closer and wrapped his arms around Ray's chest, the movement making the blanket slither down a few more inches.

Ray silently revelled in the sweetness of Peter's lips and the enthusiasm of the action. To see; no, to FEEL Peter be so much more energetic, it was a relief beyond words in comparison to the near zombie-like trance he had been in previously.

Peter smiled as they drew apart and Ray's hands settled at his waist. Glancing down at those same hands that had investigated him the prior night, his gaze moved even further and he seen faint marks blooming on his hips, a pattern of fingertips.

Knowing that they'd been left by Ray's strong hands sent a long-dormant thrill of exhilaration through him. Ray had marked HIM...

Ray seen where Peter's languid gaze had settled and blushed hotly, torn between a subtle sense of pride that he'd left his mark on Peter, but feeling a little guilty as he recalled-

"I know what you're thinking." Peter said, nipping at Ray's lip and demanding his attention. Ray's eyes were filled with a purity and kindness that only made Venkman love him more, and he did it as effortlessly as ever. "and I feel I must remind you of the following; I don't mind if YOU mark me, Raymond. OK?"

Ray nodded silently and beamed, lining his fingertips up with the blossoming marks now, recreating how he'd helped guide Peter's body to his as they moved even closer until Peter was comfortably straddling Ray's lap, arms wrapped loosely around his lover's shoulders.

"How do you feel?" Ray asked as his hands linked together at Peter's lower back, securing him in place. Peter blinked, expression totally unguarded as his eyes met Ray's. There was a lot hidden in the question, those hazel eyes that locked on Peter's as a million questions shimmered in their depths. Was he comfortable with intimacy again? Had he been able to put his mind at ease? Was he, Peter, happy?

Peter felt his heart pound hard against his ribcage as he gathered the sensations of the night and the exhaustive breakdown that'd come before them.

"Better." He said at last, the word seeming woefully inadequate to cover everything he felt, but it was all he could think of right then. He seen relief in Ray's eyes at that one word, the beginnings of tears following swiftly after.

"I'm so glad." Ray whispered, his voice shaking in barely-restrained joy "I-I was so worried...I didn't think I'd see you smile again and I-"

Peter kissed him softly on the nose, looking serious as he traced a finger along Stantz's cheek, wiping away the tears.

"I know. I don't know how you stuck with it as long as you did, Ray. I shut you out, shut EVERYBODY out, all because I was convinced I was something monstrous. I didn't want to become like my father, he's not even human-"

His voice shook as two weeks of guilt rose up like a tidal wave, demanding to be confronted. They'd been trying to help him, hadn't they? Winston's no-nonsense statements, Egon's logical assurances and Ray's silent, steadfast acts of kindness. Even Janine's barbs had been far more padded in the few instances that she'd encountered him. And what had he done? Shouted at them, turned his back and left them behind, each and every time.

"Is that why you couldn't confide in us?" Ray asked gently, Peter flinched subtly and hesitated for a few seconds, but then spoke up just before Ray could apologise-

"It- I thought if I could make you all angry, I could stop whatever this is from going after all of you. I didn't think about how much just letting one person in could change everything until last night. I was convinced I was doing what was best…"

He closed his eyes, letting his forehead rest against Ray's neck, nuzzling into his throat. "I'm sorry.."

"It's okay.." Ray stroked his back, hugging Peter tightly as he wrestled with the often bumpy road of recovery. At last, Peter drew a deep breath and continued;

"But when I seen you standing there," Peter dew a shaky breath "in that moment, all I wanted was you, Ray, forget how much of a threat I was. I owed you the truth, but the thought I might hurt you always made me push you away."

"It's alright." Ray whispered into Peter's tousled hair as he finished "what you went through, it was horrendous and it'd scare any of us just the same. I told you last night and I'll tell you again now; I don't blame you for being scared, or being angry OR needing time to process. If you'd suppressed it and acted like you were fine, I think I'd have been far more worried. So forget about it, it's in the past now."

"You've been reading my books, haven't you?" Peter said as he felt himself flush. Ray was so direct, so cute...

"I wanted to help." Ray said, and it was the honest truth. Peter smiled, vision blurring in relief as he hugged Ray tightly.

"You did that and MORE." he said softly, moving to nibble the man's ear, his weak spot— but the moment was somewhat ruined by his stomach gurgling deafeningly. He groaned, letting his head bump against Raymond's shoulder.

"I am absolutely STARVING." he said bluntly after a milliseconds pause, not like he could hide it, after all. He felt and heard Ray laugh, the vibrations running through his body.

"Well, why don't I make us breakfast?" the younger man asked and Peter drew back to look at him, eyes hopeful.

"Pancakes?" he asked and Ray nodded, meeting Peter's smile with one of his own.

They got dressed, only stopping every now and again to share a kiss, the delights of the night running through both their minds. Ray flushed every time he recalled Venkman's voice echoing in his head…

* * *

Peter seen Stantz casting shy but clearly happy glances at him as they descended to the firehouse and felt a fresh surge of gratitude for whatever twist of fate had led to Ray stumbling upon him in the kitchen last night. He threaded his fingers through Ray's as they walked, smiling softly at Ray as he pulled him to his side. Stantz squeezed his hand back, offering another sunny smile to his partner as they entered the kitchen.

Peter felt his stomach tense up as the door creaked open, he hadn't really thought about what he'd say to the others, he'd been too happy enjoying Ray's caress…

But the kitchen was empty when they walked in, the others thankfully still asleep. Glancing at the clock, Ray seen they had time enough for him to make a special breakfast just for Peter.

He began bustling about and gathering the ingredients, turning the stove on and grabbing the chocolate chips.…

Peter sat himself up on the counter and watched Ray quietly as he began mixing the batter, humming softly to himself. Ray was always so enthusiastic about everything, it was seriously endearing. Peter let his eyes trace the shape of Ray's body in those jeans, all the way up to where his hair curled against his neck…

The world seemed brighter today.

* * *

Egon woke out of habit, his genius brain insisting he go sneak in some more research before breakfast.

But as he opened the door a crack, he seen something he had not imagined would occur, given the variables in play.

Ray was stood at the stove, looking earnestly happy as he concentrated on the dish. But that wasn't the unexpected bit-

Sat up on the counter was Peter. He was perched in an oddly protective way, with shoulders hunched and hands gripping the edge of the counter tightly. Going by the way his sweater hung on his frame, Egon guessed that he'd lost a bit of weight from his self-imposed seclusion. Not to mention the shadows under his eyes and the way his hair had grown mussier.

None of this told him how or why the man had finally ventured out to let Ray cook him breakfast, back on point. For in a misguided effort to protect the gentle-mannered ghostbuster he'd fallen for, Peter had been distancing himself and it'd obviously been causing pain for both of them.

Spengler watched as Peter glanced around the kitchen, expression twisting slightly in what seemed like pain.

* * *

Observing the place where only weeks before he'd been cheerily winding Egon up over Eugene and seeing Ray act as the loveable peacemaker he was...it felt as if he'd been away for an eternity instead of just a couple of weeks. He'd been angry, pushing away people who tried to help him-

—You didn't think they'd take you seriously, did you?— his analytical brain jabbed at his defences —they all know you as a sex-obsessed goof-off.—

Peter's throat locked up at this piece of brutal analysis and his eyes stung a little. How much damage had he done? His heart tore at his chest and he hunched up even more, feeling like his stomach was churning angrily. He uttered a restless noise, body tensed to flee...

"Hey, no more of that.." Ray was suddenly standing before him, brushing his thumb across Peter's cheek and tilting his head up. Peter went still, hesitating with every muscle still coiled to flee, but Ray met his eyes with unrelenting determination "you've nothing to feel guilty over."

"What did I DO, Ray?" Peter asked softly.

Ray gently unclasped Venkman's hands from where they were gripping the counter so tightly that he was surprised there weren't gouges in the material. He squeezed Peter's hands gently and observed the way Venkman looked at him with his expression torn between hope and regret.

"What do you mean?" Ray asked him now, frowning softly. Peter drew in a shaky breath, feeling uneasy even as he blurted it out to the one he trusted most;

"I know I hid, I know I did every possible thing to keep you all away from me. But..that electricity- what did IT do?"

Ray realised that he was referring to the stray bursts of power he'd displayed when cornered.

"Well, aside from making Egon's equipment go haywire- frying ONE laptop battery- nothing, really. Mostly you just made the inside of the firehouse look like it was having a disco."

Peter uttered a soft chuckle before he could help himself, Ray had such a sweet way of making even the worst instances seem better, somehow.

"See?" Ray said, kissing him gently on the forehead "there's no need for you to worry. It wouldn't be the first time this place has seen power surges, the containment unit did it at least three times last year!"

"But-" Peter began, only for Ray to swiftly draw him into both his arms and a kiss. Peter faltered a moment, then relaxed into the gesture, hands moving to squeeze Ray's sides gently.

"No buts, ok?" Ray murmured as they parted, waiting until he received a nod before he turned back to the task of making breakfast, heart aching at seeing THAT look in Peter's eyes.

* * *

Egon let the door shift closed, balancing it on the lip of the latch.

—He blames himself for what his father did to him, for what he feels he has become? And he thinks it might try to kill us?— He was so deep in thought that he nearly screamed when he turned round and came face-to-face with a bemused Winston.

"What're we spying on?" he asked quietly, raising an eyebrow at Egon's slightly doofy expression. He looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar and it was actually pretty darn funny.

Egon nodded his head at the crack in the door and they BOTH peered out, one above the other like a cartoon scene.

* * *

Ray held the plate out to Venkman now, smiling "Ray's special choco-chip pancakes. See what you think!"

Peter took the first bite and uttered an adorably happy noise that made Ray blush. The look of delight in those exhausted eyes made Stantz hope once more that this was the start of his lover's recovery...

"Ish perfect Rayh.." Peter said, digging the fork in and quickly wolfing the rest down. Ray leaned against the counter beside him while he ate, seeing some of the spark returning to the man's eyes.

"More?" Seeing the now empty plate, Ray gestured to the pan and got a rapid nod in response as Peter's stomach gurgled.

Wiping a smudge of chocolate from his cheek, Peter watched Ray mix the batter, pouring it into the pan and start humming once more. The fresh scent of pancakes made his stomach stretch its legs ever more vocally and he realised just how little he'd really been feeding himself.

The arc of the pancake coming back to earth caught his eye and he watched Ray for a moment before piping up;

"How do you that? The flipping thing…?"

Ray paused, then took the pan off the heat and beckoned Peter to come join him. Peter slithered down off the counter to stand beside Ray, who nodded for him to take hold of the frying pan then moved so he had one hand resting over Peter's on the pan handle and the other coming to rest so that it curved around Venkman's waist.

Egon spied a momentary flash of tension in Peter's eyes, but it was gone in an instant and he leaned himself into Ray's hold.

"You OK?" Ray whispered to Peter, feeling the brief tension in his partners body. But Peter nodded, murmuring softly;

'I will be, Ray..."

Ray nuzzled his cheek affectionately, telling him to take his time.

"So, how does this thing work?" Peter asked, staring nervously at the stove.

Ray smiled and began a beginners guide to pancakes. The delicious smells only increased as the pancake flipped into the air in a lazy circle before landing back in the pan. Ray let go of the handle, patting Peter's side gently before giving him room to try for himself.

"See? It's easy, the trick is not holding the wrists too tense, that tends to inject too much force, resulting in the old slapstick favourite of pancakes on the ceiling."

Peter blinked, one eyelid twitching faintly as he just KNEW-

He later wondered if things would've happened if Ray hadn't put that idea in his head. Because sure enough, when let loose on his own, he accidentally did exactly what Ray said not to. The first few attempts went OK, but then he got overconfident-

* * *

Glancing away from the scene as Peter accepted Ray's close proximity without panic, Egon caught Winston's eye, mouthing "he's calmer..?"

Winston gave him a nod, opening his mouth to reply when a yelp from the kitchen drew their attention back.

* * *

Ray looked up from his rummage in the cupboards for toppings as Peter yelped loudly, seeing him stumbling back and clutching the pan at arms length.

"Peter?" he asked, gaze moving from the empty pan to Peter's oddly sheepish expression. "What's the matter? Did you burn yourself-?"

"Nooo, it's- let's just say there's a reason my foster mother never let me cook." Peter said softly in a faint attempt at a joke, something he hadn't done a lot of in his exile.

"I'm sure it's not that bad…." Ray said kindly, setting the plate he was holding aside and stepping towards Peter as he glanced up at the ceiling above the cooker.

And kept right on staring for several seconds.

That was the precise moment when, miracle of miracles to both Ray and the two watching, Peter actually began to laugh. The pan clattered back onto the stovetop and he pressed a hand to his mouth, a look of trepidation mixing with humour; as if he wasn't sure he was going to sound the same as before if he laughed now.

This lasted until he glanced over at Ray. Seeing the younger man biting his lip, shoulders shaking from the same amusement- it set the psychologist off. Weeks of suppressed fear, hope and trepidation all poised to be excised by a cooking mishap.

Peter felt the wave of laughter breach his rickety defences and at first he tried to restrain it. But first one muffled guffaw slipped through the fingers pressed over his mouth and it was soon followed by more, forcing him to move his hand lest he pass out from lack of oxygen. He then facepalmed as he heard Ray giggle happily as he moved to shut the stove off.

"Probably oughta tell you, I'm a disaster area when it comes to cooking-!" Peter sputtered out, meeting Ray's eyes as the other man wiped tears of amusement from them. Ray chuckled, snagging Peter's belt loop and mimicking another of his lover's favourite actions by pulling the other closer, leaning back against the counter as he did.

It was a beautiful moment, the two of them together in the sun-warmed kitchen. Peter was a warm, lively presence in his arms and his soft husky laughter was a relief to hear. Ray wrapped both arms around him now, meeting Peter's eyes and sharing a smile as he drew him closer to his chest. Peter knew he was flushed, blinking back tears of amusement; he could feel how much his sides ached as he looked at Ray.

—Ray...you really are amazing..—

His heart raced as Ray nuzzled his nose and murmured "it's good to hear you laugh, Peter…"

Peter was again reminded of just how numbed he'd become since the trauma, as if he'd forgotten what had once made him feel like himself. But now he could feel emotions waking back up just as they had last night, again guided by Ray's touch.

With that in mind, he closed the minuscule distance between himself and Ray and kissed him firmly. He heard Ray sigh happily, his fingertips pressing into Peter's back as he returned the kiss. Beneath his fingers, Peter swore he could feel Ray's heart beating rapidly as his fingertips traced up the man's chest, pausing as they reached his collarbone which was just visible below the collar of his shirt.

* * *

The other two retreated back behind the silently closed door.

"Well, it seems SOMETHING changed." Winston murmured, eyebrows raised. He'd seen Peter flirt with numerous women over the years and while he'd been effortlessly charming, there was something vastly more sincere in his affections towards Ray. Winston could honestly say he believed Peter's infatuation with Stantz, something about the way he looked at Ray…

Egon nodded, relieved to see Peter no longer causing EMP bursts from contact alone, whatever Ray had done between the pancakes in the kitchen yesterday and this morning, it'd by all accounts restarted Peters normal processes.

* * *

Ray beamed warmly as they parted, patting Peter's side and motioning him towards the coffee machine, saying he'd make him some more pancakes.

Peter nodded, feeling that hesitant strength find slightly firmer footing as time ticked by. He turned to the coffee machine, poking the thing with a drowsy yawn.

Winston and Egon figured now was as good a time as any to drop in, they hadn't wanted to interrupt the duo during what was clearly a tender moment.

Peter heard the door to the bedroom click open and his blood went cold. All the things he'd practised in his head evaporated in an instant and his mouth went dry. The world around him phased into a blur and he fumbled for something to do or say…even as he felt frozen in place.

—What am I supposed to say to them? What if they don't take me seriously..?—

He still had his finger on the button on the front of the coffee machine while he fought this internal struggle, not realising the machine wasn't feeling the best that day either. It'd been playing up often as of late and now the fuse finally decided to give in. With a loud pop that originated from the plug socket, the thing shut down and Peter shot back from it, his stomach churning.

—Not now, please- — he begged in his head.

"Peter?" The voice was so close to his left ear that he yelped loudly and without thinking, tried to get away from it. The ever-present disorientation meant that he forgot how close he was to the stove and stumbled, his hand bumping against the still hot pancake pan. He gasped sharply and automatically pulled his hand away, tucking it close to his chest as he felt his stomach shift unpleasantly.

"Hey man, it's okay."

He knew that voice, it was Winston. Peter forced his eyes to open, blinking dizzily at the familiar sight of the former marine. He expected a look of frustration, but the other looked the same as he always did; patient.

Winston was little startled by this odd display of klutziness from Venkman, but reasoned his fear wouldn't be cured overnight, even if Ray had somehow pulled off the impossible and made him rejoin the rest of the world-

-What smelled like burnt fuse? He sniffed the air and looked over at the coffee machine and out of the corner of his eye he seen Peter wince, still clutching his burnt hand tightly.

Ray emerged from where he'd gone diving into the cupboards, holding a first aid kit in his hands.

"Peter..?" He asked, that one word seeming to say a lot more, because Peter stared at him a moment, then mutely nodded.

—He still seems very shellshocked.— Egon mused as he watched Venkman flicker between responding to them and hiding himself away. As his thoughts wandered, he found himself glancing at the busted coffee maker and he had an idea.

Ray sat Peter down, pulling a chair up beside him so he could set about cleaning and tending to the burn. Peter didn't seem to be reacting now, he'd just gone mute again.

—Trust them, Peter..please..— Ray cast a worried glance at Venkman as he finished putting burn ointment and bandages on his partner's hand. He patted Peter's hand as he finished, drawing the man's attention back to him.

"Better?" He asked and Peter nodded once.

"It's good to see you up and about, man." Winston added, Peter's exhausted gaze moving to him now. "It aint the same without you."

Before Peter could struggle to speak again, Egon came over and carefully set a small, cylindrical object in front of Peter as he joined the table, sat opposite Venkman.

Peter cocked his head, brow furrowed in a question.

"It's the fuse from the coffee machine." Egon said calmly "not every electrical issue is because of you. That thing was on its last legs and it just happened to blow now. So you can relax."

This solution seemed so simple, so easy…that it actually worked. Peter knew Egon didn't waste his energy on useless pandering, so he felt a small sense of relief as he nodded.

"I see…" they were the first words he'd spoken since they'd walked in. He picked up the singed fuse, letting it rest in the palm of his hand. Then he curled his fingers around it, holding tightly onto it.

"How ya feelin' man?" Winston asked next and Peter made a small shrugging motion.

"Better." He whispered at last and beside him, Egon seen Ray smile softly as his hand moved to lightly rest atop Peter's. As Stantz knew, that one word carried far more weight then it first appeared to. Winston must've gotten the same impression, as he nodded and opened his mouth to speak again, only to catch sight of what Stantz and Venkman had been laughing at when they'd been enjoying their personal time.

Peter blinked as Winston abruptly fought to hold back a laugh. He lifted his gaze- OH. Of course.

Egon followed both of their gazes to the cieling, with Ray in pursuit.

To his own surprise, Peter felt fresh amusement well up beneath the exhaustion and pain. Ray's hand, still gently clasping his, squeezed gently as Stantz caught his gaze. Those eyes, filled with such innocent amusement…Peter couldn't deny him a smile.

"What in the name of sanity is that?" Winston burst out laughing first, followed by Egon, EGON, snickering into his hand.

For the pancake remained stubbornly stuck to the ceiling, but that wasn't all, as the burn pattern imprinted on it from Peters uncertain cooking looked bizarrely like a very derpy smiley face.

And for some reason it was the funniest thing in the whole damn universe.

"I think it SEES us. Well, us and the top of the stove…." Egon said dryly and Peter snorted into his hand, a little overwhelmed by this strong desire to just….drop every defence he'd built since the kidnapping.

"I dunno, it's kinda got a thousand yard stare going on there…I think it sees the future, Spengs. Honestly, it kinda reminds me of Peck." Winston said all this seriously, as if he was a critic studying a work of art. Ray uttered an amused giggle and Peter's shoulders shook with laughter he was fighting a losing battle to hide.

"I cannot deny; the resemblance IS uncanny." Egon mused and this last line made Peter crack, a snort of laughter escaping him, soon followed by Ray face-palming and giggling his ass off. Peter shut his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as he let the laughter run its course.

The remaining Ghostbusters exchanged bemused looks at the giggly duo, Winston shrugged and murmured to Spengler "I have NO idea what's going on, but it's making Pete laugh, so let us not question the almighty pancake of much hilarity."

Egon snorted, but silently agreed. He hadn't heard Venkman laugh that genuinely in a long time. Whatever had transpired between him and Ray (he assumed something had, if Ray was making him breakfast.), it had worked.

—For him to have solved such a large portion of Peter's 'contact' fear, what transpired must have been...intimate.— he guessed correctly, but knew better then to ask.

It was a miracle, in the emotionally scientific sense, seeing such a drastic shift in Venkman's behaviour. He and Winston both glanced at the duo. The sunlight drifted in the window, highlighting the pair as they caught their breath from the laughter. Peter's fringe was brushing Ray's forehead, they were so close. Ray said something that made Peter shut his eyes and groan, shaking his head in mock despair.

"Ok...Ok..." Ray wiped his eyes and squeezed Peter's hand to get his attention "breathe, Peter, before you pass out on me."

Peter made a funny sort of noise but nodded, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths to clear his head. He still had that sensation of being slightly off kilter but recalled his words to Ray about how distant and locked-up he'd been, barely noticing anyone around him. Was it OK to feel like himself again? He already knew what Ray's answer would be; a big fat YES, coupled with affectionate snuggles (again, see that morning.)

"I need a drink…" he coughed, blinking to clear his eyes as he braced his hands atop the worn grain of the table. But as he stood up, the world seemed to flip on its axis and his head spun. He heard a distant shout and then someone was holding him up by his shirt.

His vision cleared enough to see it was Egon standing in front of him, holding him upright by his collar. His legs felt like they'd gone numb and he struggled to stay standing-

Spengler quickly sat Venkman back down on his chair, where the dazed man sat huddled over, looking shaken.

"What just happened?" Winston asked frowning in concern. Egon thought over everything he'd studied with regards to helping Venkman.

"My guess is your diet and activity levels have dropped drastically since discharging yourself. Adverse effects of this can include dizziness and nausea, as well as poor sleep. The sudden change in routine may simply be too much right now."

"You been eating much?" Winston asked Venkman as he came round the table to stand beside Egon. Peter winced, then shook his head.

"Wasn't really hungry." He said quietly. He'd been so lost inside his own nightmare that he'd barely even thought about what he was doing.

"Then we need to increase your diet, your body wants energy you simply aren't able to give it." Egon said pragmatically. Peter nodded silently, it made sense.

Beside him, Ray couldn't help but think of a certain act they'd done last night that may have used up a lot of energy and he struggled not to blush, with the end result being a slightly gormless stare. Not so much a thousand yards as maybe a few hundred..

"Ray?" Egon seen Stantz suddenly space out and wondered if he was alright? "Is something amiss?"

The blank stare continued.

Peter blinked, leaning towards Ray and staring at him a moment, then poking him on the nose. Ray blinked, met Peter's confused stare, then coughed and cleared his throat.

"Sorry, my mind wandered." He said lamely.

As if sensing what he was hiding, Ray seen Peter's lips curve briefly in a smile. A familiar knowing smile that brought fresh hope once more…

He patted Peter's hand and said he was going to make some more pancakes, before he let slip he'd done the old horizontal hello (Peter's words, not his) with Venkman last night. Egon would no doubt scold him for over-taxing Peter…

He pushed to his feet, asking the others if they wanted some too?

"Not airborne, promise." He added, seeing Peter smile weakly at the table before him, resting his forehead on one hand.

"I'll let you cook them, then." Venkman said as he watched the younger man bustling about. He really was so energetic- and the way his jeans shifted on his hips as he stood on tiptoe to reach the top shelf- very distracting.

"I dunno, a few more rounds and we'll have our own ceiling game of twister!" Winston teased, earning a glower from Peter as Ray positioned himself in front of the pan once more.

"Don't even think about it." Egon added and Winston uttered an amused snort.

Peter again found his gaze drifting back to watching Raymond, hearing him humming softly…even his VOICE was friggin' adorable-

"-some, Peter?"

"Huh?" Peter blinked as he realised Ray was addressing him now. "If it involves more pancakes, the answer is always yes."

"You sure you're OK, Peter?" Ray asked kindly, but Venkman just nodded.

"I'm fine," he sighed "just a little distracted."

"Yeah, by BE-hindsight." Winston snickered softly as Ray turned back to his task. Peter glowered at him and then for the first time in ages, flipped him off.

"Yes! You owe me twenty, Egon." The former marine sat back in his chair, grinning smugly at Spengler, who looked mildly annoyed.

"What?" Peter looked puzzled, so Egon explained.

"Winston insisted we stage a bet to see which of us could make you flip the bird first. This is the first recorded instance, therefore Winston wins."

"Huh." Peter blinked, "I see."

Soon Ray had set heavily laden plates in front of them, before going back to make himself some. Then one final trip to grab sodas, since the coffee machine was busted.

Again, his gaze checked on Peter before he began on his food and Peter felt another guilty jab for pushing him away for so long. He heard Egon begin explaining something to Ray and his attention span wandered within seconds, hating feeling unsure of himself.

There was the issue, he still hadn't fixed the misplaced pieces of himself from that night. Ray's kindness had started something, but where did he go next? Who were his family, really?

He heard a faint crumpling noise and snapped out of his daze. Looking down, he realised his grip on the aluminium can was tight enough to made dents in the sides. He set it down hurriedly, closing his eyes and telling himself to get a grip but felt that pain in his head that signalled THAT stirring-

The lightbulb above the stove winked out of existence with a faint popping sound and he winced. The conversation died as the sound faded and Peter could feel their gazes boring into him-

"Peter-" Ray began but Venkman closed his eyes, fighting the alien ability he'd been saddled with alongside the disgust he had for it. Anger spiked and pain bloomed in his head.

"Why wont this stop?!" He snarled, resting his head in his hands. Terror and anger coursed through his veins and for a moment he blacked out, as did the power. But it flickered back on just as fast and Peter fancied he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

"Relax." Egon's unconcerned tone reached him a moment later "I've rewired some of the circuitry, the building wont lose much more than a bulb or two."

"See? And hey, if you can make it swear in morse code, I'll wear a chicken suit to work." Winston joked. Peter laughed, but there was little amusement in his eyes when he finally looked up at them. He looked pained, Egon thought, as if even acknowledging the ability hurt.

—What if it hurts someone? I know Ray refuses to believe it, but I can't ignore the fact that this is unstable..— Peter thought morosely, returning his gaze to his breakfast. He could almost sense the concern Ray radiated and spared a glance to offer him a shaky smile, he didn't want him fretting 24/7.

As if impatient to resume decimating the pancakes, Peter's stomach gurgled in anticipation. Egon's responded a moment later and Ray chuckled as he glanced from one to the other.

"Who wants an eating contest?" he asked and Egon raised an eyebrow-

"Oh no, we are not doing that again. 'Sides, there'll only be a belching contest and there's no WAY I'm gonna get my title back after last time!" Winston said, catching Peter's eye and grinning.

"What're you on about? YOU won the last contest." Peter said, puzzled.

"True, but we happened to hear one, albeit muffled by the distance of the attic from downstairs and we judged it to be of sufficient resonance to beat Winston's effort." Egon explained and Peter ground to a halt, fork in mouth, cheeks puffed like a hamster.

He blinked, swallowed his food and finally sputtered "what?! You heard-"

"Janine said half the block probably heard it." Ray said, eyes shining with amusement.

Peter face-planted onto the table with a groan, hearing the others all chuckling faintly at this display. A hand on his shoulder gently nudged him back into a sitting position and he blinked vacantly at his partner.

Ray noted how Peter's hair looked kinda cute like that, with the longer fringe brushing over his forehead.

Peter realised he was being admired and felt his heart stutter briefly, sharing a quick smile with Ray before quickly turning his attention back to the remainder of his pancakes as Ray did that trick where he balanced the spoon on a salt shaker and flicked the last chunk of a pancake into his mouth. Egon held up a fork, studying it intently as if trying to work out how Ray had done that.

"Here, like this..." Ray was soon distracted demonstrating his party trick to Egon and Peter let himself zone out, only paying attention to the pancakes before him.

The tap of his fork against the vacant plate informed him that he'd eaten them all and he blinked, looking a tiny smidge disappointed.

Ray seen this, shoved the last bit of his third pancake into his mouth and bounded up from his chair with two more still uneaten.

"I'll make some more, we may need to pick some more ingredients up later-" he was interrupted before he'd barely gotten a step from his chair; Peter's hand moving quickly to snag the waistband on his jeans.

"It's fine-" Peter said with a cough, knowing Ray was being his adorable self and not wanting him to forget about his own plateful "you keep bouncing up and down of out that chair and you'll never finish breakfast."

"But, pancakes-?" Ray asked, with an almost doleful look on his face.

"Nooo, Butt, chair." Peter said mock-sternly and Ray tried not to giggle, failed and then sat back down to resume working on the pancakes.

There was still an air of fear about Peter, but it was a shadow of its former self. His mental exhaustion was clear and as Egon had guessed, it wasn't helping with regards to this anomalous power within him.

Those panicked energy surges Peter had been generating- they had to be causing headaches to the man himself at the very least.

Peter seen Egon looking studiously at him out of the corner of his eye and remembered all the awkward stuff he'd done. Shouting at people trying to help him, acting like an idiot- His friends were the sole reason he'd survived that kidnapping. If they hadn't kept on looking..

He'd be dead and there wouldn't BE a life for him to mess up.

His throat locked up and he ceased toying with the fork, setting it down with a crisp clacking sound. He felt a little lightheaded as he heard himself mumble about needing a glass of water.

He took it slower this time, waiting a heartbeat to make sure he wasn't going to be losing a battle with gravity before turning towards the sink. But as he reached for the faucet, this sudden change from the routine he'd become mired in for weeks, to the hope of that morning hit him in a rush and the world swayed scarily once more.

The oddest sensation flooded him, accompanied by flashes of the nightmares he'd been mercifully deprived of during his stay in Ray's arms last night.

—This isn't over…— that same strange voice repeated as it always did —your real purpose is at hand..—

All eyes snapped to Peter as the trio heard Venkman utter a low sound of pain. There was an edge of panic there too- He was gripping the edge of the sink in a vague effort to stay on his feet.

"Peter-!" Ray was up in a flash as he seen Peter about to collapse, with the others close behind.

"It's ramping up," Egon murmured "we need to find a way to stop it, or the pain is going to literally do him in."

"It's gotta hurt…" Winston agreed, the two of them standing by as Ray reached for Peter and wrapped his arms around him, supporting him against his chest. Peter instinctively clutched handfuls of Ray's shirt to study himself, eyes tightly closed as he felt the fabric of Rays collar brush his cheek and the warmth of him as he let his head rest on Stantz's shoulder.

—Careful…its unstable or did you forget? What if last night was a fluke-?— Peter's dazed mind pointed out his old fear, seconds before it hit him like a ton of bricks.

The beast that this unwanted power had become was fully awake now, easily breaching Peters efforts thus far to subdue it.

-Damn you,- Peter thought balefully –Don't you DARE hurt my friends or I'll-!-

Egon's jaw dropped as the air around them seemed to crackle and arcs of reddish lightning jumped from appliance to appliance, crackling across surfaces as if it was exploring the layout of this place, searching for a way to cause a distraction so it's bearer could flee. It made sense now, it was reacting to Peter's baseline need to secure an escape as he'd done before. In short; it was actively trying to serve his request even if Peter wasn't fully aware he was making it.

"Whoa..." Winston whistled as he seen it actively arc AWAY from him when it got too close.

He followed that up with a double take as he observed Egon trying to stick himself between one of the arcs and seeing it stop, then disperse.

"Dude, really?" he mouthed and Egon just shrugged.

Then the air popped as the surge seemed to come to an end, the tension releasing Peter's body at last and the dazed man slumped against Ray, taking deep shuddering breaths.

"Peter?" Ray was trying to get a response, he was practically the only thing holding Peter up "can you hear me? Are you ok?"

"I feel about to throw up." Peter mumbled into Ray's shoulder, his words punctuated by frantic hyperventilating "shame, those were nice pancakes."

"Just take it slow, man. Deep breaths, here…"

Ray guided Peter back to his chair as Winston knelt down beside Peter. He began detailing a breathing exercise from his days in the marines, one that was used to help calm panicked civvies, keeping two fingers on Peters wrist to check his pulse. It started off as concerning, then gradually slowed as Winston talked.

"Remind me. Why'd you ever leave the marines?" Peter said as he opened his eyes at the end of the exercise, his stomach no longer threatening to toss its contents.

"I'd done all I could there, I wanted to see what else the world offered. Turns out it had a smartarse who could sell ice to Eskimos, a genius with awful handwriting and a guy who makes great pancakes."

"Hey." Egon objected a second after as that sentence sunk in. Ray laughed briefly, then giggled even MORE when Spengler glowered at him, he just couldn't help it.

Peter uttered a weak laugh as he watched Ray glance surreptitiously away from an annoyed yet amused Egon, expression as innocent as Stantz could make it as he jokingly mimed hiding behind the door to a nearby cupbord.

"Good to have you back, Pete." Venkman heard Winston say softly and he blinked warily at him, were they all just being nice because they were afraid he'd set something on fire? But Winston shook his head a second later, as if reading his mind.

"As annoyed as I may get at times, the Ghostbusters wouldn't be anywhere like they are now if you weren't running around drawing attention to us and telling every wannabe doubter where to stuff it. With a broom handle. Repeatedly."

Peter couldn't help it, he felt that strange sense of hope again. Winston grinned and clapped him on the back when Peter finally smiled and stood up.

"Even we overlooked it before now, but what you do Pete, none of us can replicate. It aint over yet, so chin up…"

Peter mulled these words over for a minute, then nodded.

—That's it Pete, you're doing it..— Winston felt a small sigh of relief escape him as he stepped back.

But there was still the other matter no-one mentioned...

Drawing a shaky breath, Peter looked up at Egon, who was now trying to repair the coffee machine, the breakfast plates moved aside to make room.

"Can your scans...can they find out whats wrong with me?" He asked dully, aware of Ray moving to stand beside his chair, one gentle hand resting on his back.

Ray looked worriedly at Egon, then at Peter, gently rubbing his partners back as he did.

Egon set the screwdriver down upon seeing the closed-off look in Venkman's eyes, he knew this was a hard question for the man to ask. He figured he should be honest, lying in an effort to reassure would do no good.

"Nothings wrong, per se, with YOU as a human being. I suspect some minor health issues due to the experience, but nothing a proper diet and rest can't aid with." Egon said calmly "rather, it's this power and the fact it seems unused to being active that draws my concern. As far as I can tell, it has settled into a state of temperate control, where-"

"Everytime I lose my temper, stuff catches fire. Or the lights blow." Peter sighed, hands clenching tightly on the tabletop "it's been weeks, why hasn't it faded? It has to be a finite thing, right?"

"Not necessarily." Egon said, chancing going into detail as Peter seemed to be making an effort to listen now "based on my data, it seems able to regenerate itself."

"How?" Ray asked, standing as close to his shaken Peter as he could.

"Like how a a device plugged into a wall socket draws power from the wiring in the walls. It's drawing its strength from yours, to put it bluntly. Winston said that you told him it was transplanted into you at an early age, albeit being sealed off until now. Is that true?" Egon asked and Peter nodded, head aching as he flashed back to more of Ivan's taunts.

"I was intended to just be a holding space."

"Some ancient rituals use an 'unwilling participant' as it were, for a holding vessel. Bearing this in mind I have a theory; When your mother cut the ceremony short and absconded with you, part of the intended power had undoubtedly already been instated. Their intent with the recent kidnapping was no doubt to drain it once it'd reached full capacity."

"Mm-hm." Peter said croakily, hands clenching "They had it all set out, all those maniacs ready to transfer an insane level of power via that spell, all to eventually give it to my father. I wasn't intended to survive it, either as a child OR an adult."

He thought of how sick he'd felt when Ivan had said he'd used him as just a screw-toy…

"The whole time, he was working for my father. It was all set up to catch me-" He shut his eyes as his self-disgust surged like an acidic reflex "and like an idiot, I walked right into it."

The others instinctively knew he was talking about Ivan, Ray had spoken of him when they'd been frantically trying to find their friend. How Peter had realised he was being manipulated and had blamed himself for not seeing it sooner.

"Peter, you're not an idiot-" Ray objected as he took his seat beside him, but Peter shook his head and a sad smile tugged at his lips as he spoke again "I'm serious, Raymond. I said it before; that kind of lifestyle can be dangerous. I've only got myself to blame."

"Bullcrap, my man." Winston said, making Peter open his eyes and regard him warily "I'm serious. Nobody's perfect, you can't possibly berate yourself for not seeing that creeps plans, he deliberately staged it so you wouldn't catch on. This aint no feel-better speech; it's a simple fact that what that douchebag did was lower than dirt. Nobody deserves to be messed with or tricked into bed, regardless of if they flirt with anything that stands still long enough or not."

Peter gave a brief laugh "Easy for you to say-"

"Hay, we had lots of bars both on and off base, Pete. Before Tiyah, I had a list of nights out that'd give you a run for your money when me and the other squads went out drinking."

Peter arched one impressed eyebrow at Winston's smug smirk "OK, details. Gimme. Now. No fair, hiding that juicy story!"

Winston grinned, this was more like the Pete Venkman he knew, right down to the way he narrowed his eyes and did that childish pout.

"If we got beer, I got time Pete." He snorted, then remembered something important "and hey, here's some good news for ya; Ray broke that Ivan guys jaw when we busted in there, clocked him so hard he went flying! After reviewing the evidence with the police, they said it was acceptable self defence."

Peter was mute in sheer surprise, his expression one of wide-eyed disbelief.

"Ray did?" He asked after a second, as his lover made a barely audible squeaking sound.

"Yes, Winston later said he could have a career in boxing if that was his opening game." Egon filled in and Peter slowly turned his head to stare at Ray, who coughed sheepishly and tried to hide himself by hunching up in his chair.

"And you didn't tell me this why-?" more pouting followed as he closed the space between them, so his nose booped Ray's. Ray flushed, making a series of funny expressions and fidgeting; before finally caving to Peter's stare and blurting out;

"It's- well- I forgot! But he deserved it, the stupid, arrogant, vicious little a-hole! I recognised him from that brief glimpse on the first night-" referring to when he'd first found out about Peter's orientation "and I couldn't forgive what he tried to do, so I swung at him on sight. I don't care if he got hurt, didn't seem like he made a brain cell to spare a pain response anyway-!"

Peter chuckled softly and placed an index finger against Stantz's lips to shush him at last, seeing Ray blush as he settled back in his chair.

"It's perfect as it is. I'd only be wondering about brain damage if you kicked him in the nards, Ray." Peter stated, making the man giggle. Peter smiled, setting his hands back atop the table, mind wandering back to that night.

"How much can you remember from the ritual?" Egon asked next and Peter winced but frowned, going silent as he tried to think. Winston seen the tension in Venkmans body as he recalled that night, but admired his effort to face it.

Eventually Peter shook his head, looking uneasy "very little. It's mostly a blur of voices, red fire and pain so bad I'd have thrown up if I wasn't terrified."

"You didn't miss anything worth remembering, promise." Winston said in the silence that followed and Ray nodded, setting a hand on Peter's back once more.

"Yeah….I don't doubt that." Peter said weakly. Memories flashed through his head and he was reminded of that last back-and-forth with Ivan. A shudder ran through him and he felt light-headed, this was the reason he had pushed his lover away from him..

"Peter?" Egon was peering at him now, automatically moving to put a hand on his shoulder. Too late, he expected Peter to still be a little wary, but to his surprise Venkman barely flinched, only a minor shiver making an appearance. He let it rest there for a moment, then let his hand fall back to his side.

"Sorry, 'gon," Peter muttered softly after a moment, closing his eyes and sighing "that a-hole was the last thing I had contact with, made me wanna barf."

Winston and Egon were silent a moment as they realised this answered the riddle of Peter's aversion to contact, affectionate or otherwise.

"The memories...?" Winston asked, and Peter lifted his head now. He managed a faint smile, despite the obvious strain revealing all this was taking.

"I got better ones now.." he said wryly "eventually I'll just forget. Beer speeds the process up."

"Peter?" Ray looked a mix of happy and worried, the conflicting emotions offset somewhat by the faint tinge of pink in his cheeks. It hit home then for Egon; the memories had to be of a similar nature, meaning.

Well, it seemed biological urges could do a lot more then just relieve stress-

"I think he broke." Egon snapped out of his brief daze and his gaze fell on Peter, who was studying him with a raised eyebrow. Egon fought not to show what had been running through his mind; he did NOT need to imagine two of his best friends doing exactly the same things he did with Eugene-why was he thinking this?!

"Well, this is new. What'd you say, Pete?" Zeddemore shook his head, watching Egon apparently space out WAY beyond Nasa's Reach to date.

"How is this MY fault?" Venkman objected.

"Sorry, force of habit. You are legendarily filthy-minded." Winston said with a grin.

"Hmph! Ray doesn't mind...my..mind." Peter began indignantly then trailed off "...wait, where was I going with this?"

"Let's just leave it there..." Ray coughed, patting Peter's hair as he fought not to laugh. Peter caught his eye, arcing one eyebrow but smiling softly as Raymond rested his arms so their elbows met.

"At any rate; It's cool, that sicko is behind bars now and he won't be causing you any more pain, man." Winston assured him "Ray told us the whole story as he knew it when we came home and found you missing."

"That sentence makes no sense. In fact-" Egon objected but Winston just speared a chunk of pancake on a fork and shoved it Egon's mouth, cutting him off before he could lecture them on proper usage of language.

"Mhffmfmm.." Egon complained, but set to work on the food regardless.

"Huh." Peter blinked on seeing Egon silenced for a change.

"Anyway," Winston continued without missing a beat "we know most of it, so if theres bits you don't wanna re-hash, it's cool."

Peter nodded and fell silent, running this through his mind. Ray's hand came to rest over his atop the table and he felt a little better as he tangled his fingers in his partners and squeezed gently.

"I let myself get fooled, perhaps I thought I was too smart to fall for the old 'pull the rug out from under me' trick." He murmured, sighing softly.

"If you had seen through him, he may well have tried much worse things than just seduction." Egon said, voice muffled as he talked around the pancake still occupying his attention.

Peter winced, aware of Ray's warm touch on his hand, but the rest of him felt cold. Ivan's words flashed back into his mind but he shook his head, no more.

"Although the stuff he did isn't excusable in ANY universe." Winston said with a scowl "nobody messes with one of ours and gets away."

Egon nodded succinctly as he swallowed the last of the pancake.

"Back to my point. Some ancient rituals WOULD store the power inside a hosts body, its believed it enhanced the eventual extraction because it.." He stopped abruptly, realising this may be a bit much for Venkman.

"It what?" Peter said, hands going clammy.

"Because it tears the subjects soul apart." Egon said in the awkward silence.

"This is twisted." Winston said darkly, raising an eyebrow at Egon, who nodded solemnly.

Ray looked about to be sick from disgust and Peter could feel his hand trembling just subtly. He wanted to say something to make Ray feel better, but he couldn't even convince himself everything was alright...

"There has to be something we can do, right Egon?" Ray asked desperately as he got his voice back, seeing Peter had gone silent. The mere idea that that would have been Peter's fate had they been even a minute later- it made him go cold inside.

"If there is, I will find it. In the meantime," Egon said after a moments thought "I'd like to try some tests, Peter, to see if I can get some more concrete readings to study."

Peter nodded, and even though he felt a little apprehensive at being a curiosity to be decoded, he knew it was for the best.

"They need not begin immediately. We can postpone if you need to rest-"

"No." Peter shook his head, closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair as he got up from the table "I've left this long enough. You must have a backlog of tests and questions that I ran away from or shouted abuse at."

He tried to sound sarcastic like he always did, but it was heavily underscored by the guilt Ray had witnessed when they woke. He winced, the sense of safety felt thin and he knew there was a lot more things to come, if Egon was right...

"Hay, nobody blames ya Pete." Winston stepped in front of him now, seeing how tired he looked "what happened that night, it was ROYALLY messed up. If you WEREN'T freaked out I think we'd have called a therapist, THAT would've been weird."

Peter looked from him to Ray, recalling all Ray's efforts.

"Yeah, I know." He said softly, but while the words were addressed to all three of them, his gaze was only for Ray. Ray flushed ever-so-slightly, but gave his usual reassuring smile.

Egon got up, nodding to Venkman, saying to drop by his lab when he was ready.

"Just take it easy man, there's no rush." Winston said firmly to Peter, who was staring at the tabletop. Even though he was fighting to keep how he was obviously feeling under wraps as was his habit, it was clear from his body language that he felt comfortable enough to hear what was being offered.

"Thanks, Z." Peter said at last, a wry smile like before on his face. Winston nodded and set off downstairs to go run maintenance on Ecto-1, leaving the two lovers alone in the kitchen.

* * *

Ray twiddled his fingers as he stood up, a whole LOAD of things he wanted to say fighting for space in his head as his gaze settled on Peter. They were alone now, he should say something-

"Peter..uhm..."

Responding to his voice, Peter turned to face him now.

"Do you want some more pancakes? Egon said you need to eat plenty and- mhmmm…"

He was cut off as Peter stepped closer and wrapped his arms around him, kissing him with such ferocity and passion that it took his breath away. Ray felt his heart pound loudly, a thrill racing down his back at the weight of the gesture. He uttered a happy sigh, closing his eyes and revelling in the warmth of Peter's body as it pressed close to his and kissing him back with equal fervour.

This was HIS peter, a little shaken, but he was more like himself then he'd ever been since being admitted to hospital. He felt Peter's tongue brush his lips and eagerly let him deepen the kiss as he let his hands rest on the man's shoulders, toying with the collar of his shirt. They parted when the need for air became urgent, their faces flushed and Ray could feel his lips tingling.

"Ray," Peter whispered, their faces inches apart as his hands linked at Ray's lower back "someday I'll find a way to thank you for this, all of it."

"I'm just happy you're letting us back in again." Ray whispered back, feeling tears of relief sting his eyes "everything I said last night was true. We're your friends, we're not gonna give up that easily. You've always been a secret, Peter.."

"-wrapped in an enigma, I know. I heard Winston say that once. I thought I was being super smart, keeping everybody at arms length so they couldn't pull a fast one on me, when in fact all that did was make me blind to the most dangerous con man of all." He sighed, gaze drifting away into those dark memories.

Ray kissed him softly then, looking at Peter with concerned hazel eyes as his lovers attention was drawn back to him.

"You were looking for what you thought you wanted Peter. It's human nature, right?"

"Yeah, its how we are as a species. But I didn't have a damn clue what I really wanted, just what I had convinced myself I wanted. I guess there's a downside to being a shrink, who's gonna analyse you? Who polices the police, y'know?"

"...The coastguard?" Ray said at last as he shook his head, looking so adorably confused that it made Peter laugh and pull him in for another kiss. When he let him go, Ray looked more then a little flushed, eyes bright and lips curved into a smile as he wrapped his arms around Peter's shoulders. He looked so giddily happy to have him back that it made Venkman vow to find a way to thank him that didn't JUST involve pleasuring him senseless.

For now, kisses were the go-to option.

Ray seen the look in Peter's eyes as he drew him closer once more and Peter's words echoed in his head "MY Raymond.".

They were so caught up in one another they didn't hear someone coming up the stairs.

"Eeg, you here- well, hel-lo doctors!"

Ray squeaked in fright and face-planted into Peter's shoulder as the man himself swore colourfully under this breath. Steadying his surprised partner, Peter glanced across at Spengler's bed-buddy.

Eugene raised a hand in greeting "Yo doc, long time no see."

Peter nodded mutely, unsure what else to say. He didn't doubt that Eugene knew the story about what'd happened to him; Egon would've sought comfort in him as well as assistance-

Eugene raised an eyebrow, seeing Venkman looking guarded. He decided to try appealing to his legendary sense of humour "Gonna take a guess and say you're feeling better.'

"What gave it away?" Peter managed to regain his sarcasm as Ray giggled into his shoulder.

"You're firmly attached to Ray." Eugene caught Stantz's eye and winked knowingly as he pointed this out.

"Touché" Peter shot back with a trace of a smirk "also, why dont you take a picture, it'll last longer-"

Eugene raised one eyebrow-

"-Because I will store the camera somewhere unsafe that'll requite medical attention to retrieve it." Peter finished.

"Decision, decisions..." Eugene narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin, pretending to think deeply about it. Ray chuckled as he finally lifted his head from Peter's shoulder and Egon's friend gave him a knowing grin.

"OK, I'll leave you to your making out. Is Eeg around here anywhere?" He grinned as this made Ray flush again and earned a glower from Peter. The man seemed back to normal, at least on the surface. Eventually, Peter nodded in the direction of the door, taking a deep breath as he did. Eugene could see there was still some residual tension in the doctor's body language, some but not all defences raising now.

"He's in his lab, I- we were just heading there." Peter added the second part on a whim, stomach lurching anxiously even as he spoke.

Ray blinked up at him as these words registered, studying his expression closely "You sure you're feeling ready for this? Egon did say it wasn't a rush request-"

He trailed off as Peter kissed him on the forehead, making the gesture seem as effortless and unafraid as he always did.

"Yeah, I heard Him. But I'm tired of doing nothing about it and thinking that'll make it go away. It didn't work out for the last two weeks and then some..." he patted Ray on the back to get him to move and they made a beeline for the lab with Eugene in tow.

Just as they reached the kitchen door, Eugene stopped suddenly, leaning back and calling to the duo ahead of him in the corridor.

"Hey...are you aware there's a derpy-looking pancake on your ceiling?"

His initial confusion was compounded further as Ray and Peter looked at each other and cracked up laughing. What on earth?

"Long story.." Ray laughed at last.

"Short version; Don't let me cook." Peter quipped.

"Noted." Eugene snickered, casting one last glance at the pancake before catching back up to them.

It was a relief to see Doctor V up and about. He literally hadn't seen the man during ANY of his visits to train with Eeg, for it seemed Venkman had taken to secluding himself after what he'd endured. He'd just seen a tired and anxious dr Stantz. Whatever had happened, it'd brought doc V and his partner back together.

He caught Ray's eye when Venkman wasn't looking and nodded at the doctor, offering a 'good to see you guys are OK' smile. Ray smiled back, looking relieved beyond words to have Peter so much better. Peter smiled at Ray as the younger man squeezed his hand, Ray was so adorable when he was happy...

* * *

Egon looked up as two Ghostbusters and one handsome bed partner walked in. Eugene walked over to greet him, slipping an arm around his middle and planting a quick smooch on his lips. Egon flushed cutely but gifted Eugene with one of those sweet little smiles.

Peter opened his mouth to make a joke but Ray, thinking quickly, stood on tiptoes to block Peters view of them and kissed his forehead before settling back on his feet.

Peter shut his mouth, but raised an eyebrow at Ray nonetheless. Ray just smiled cutely and Peter recalled promising him he wouldn't wind Egon up. The memory seemed so long ago, but he hadn't forgotten…

"You win this time." He said mock-sternly, earning a gleeful grin from Raymond.

"Question, Eeg-" Having properly greeted his precious Spengler, Eugene had one question on his mind.

"If it is about the pancake, I really cannot explain it." Egon shrugged, shaking his head in amusement. He then dropped his voice and added "but it's the first time Peter's laughed since the incident. I'll hail it as a scientific miracle if thats what it takes to fix the damage done."

"Ah, right." Eugene squeezed Egon's side gently, then stepped back to let him continue whatever he'd been doing when Eugene had interrupted him.

egon gave him a sultry little smile that made Eugene wish the precocious doctor wasn't in the middle of something, because he wanted badly to interrupt him-

"So what're you working on, Eeg?" he asked now to get his mind out of his pants (he was acutely aware of the presence of Doctor V, the master of innuendo) as the genius bustled back and forth, grabbing things from the various shelves that filled the room.

"Researching a way to obtain readings from arcane function manipulation-" his hip bumped the shelf as he turned, making a stack of heavy hardbacks shudder and shift-

Eugene had to do a lunging dive to stop a big heavy book from braining Egon as he caught his balance and smartly stepped back.

"Oof!" The book was big and weighed more then even the bulkiest sports manual.

"Ah!" Egon realised his blunder and peered at Eugene "are you alright?"

"Yeah, no sweat." Eugene smiled, then he looked at the heavy tome he'd caught.

"Spates?" he asked and Egon looked back, blinking once as he set the things he'd gathered in his arms next to a computer that was bristling with wires that ran off in multiple directions.

"Spates Catalogue. That one is very useful to my work. It does have a habit of doing strange things though."

Eugene raised an eyebrow at it, then opened it anyway. He couldn't understand a word of it of course, but the illustrations were interesting.

"How strange..?" he asked idly.

"How long have ya got?" was Peter's answer, with Ray nodding in solemn agreement. Eugene looked up at them, whistled and returned his attention to the book before setting it down atop a nearby table since it weighed a ton.

"Ok, Peter." Egon spoke up, having guessed the reason Peter was here was NOT just to show Eugene where he could be found. Thus he'd been hurriedly setting everything up. He hadn't anticipated Peter would be so willing to have tests performed so soon and got the impression Peter felt guilty for pushing all of them, particularly Ray, out of his life when they'd been trying to help. While he appreciated this rare display of contrition from Venkman, he made a note to keep an eye on him to ensure he wasn't putting himself under a different emotional strain.

"It's all ready now."

"Right.." Peter had his arms wrapped around his stomach and for a moment Spengler thought he was going to flee, but then he took a deep breath and made his way over to the chair beside the desk.

Ray watched him go, worry lumping in his stomach; he hated seeing Peter so tired and unhappy, but he knew Venkman was strong enough to find his way back. He'd done it last night, starting with a kiss and ending with him asking for a demonstration of the ultimate act of love. He leant back against the desk behind him, turning a piece of equipment over in his hands, pondering its many applications.

Peter perched on the chair, the tension obvious in his posture. Egon watched him for a moment, the had an idea.

"The best way to do this is for you to close your eyes and just focus on something. An image, a noise, whatever you please. it'll help keep your heart-rate steady for control purposes." Egon said this with a casual air, but it was a much a request for his tests as it was a way to make Venkman relax a little.

Peter nodded before he set his hands in his lap and closed his eyes, uttering a quiet sigh. He heard Egon's footsteps as the genius walked over to the computer. At first he focused on Ray's voice, distantly hearing him in conversation with Eugene about his bookshop and the basics of paranormal investigation.

-Cute, he wants to be a ghostbuster like his precious 'Eeg'.- Peter felt his lips twitching into a smile for a brief second.

At the desk, Egon uttered a quiet little sneeze and eyeballed Peter on instinct. Then he went back to his readings, noting it was level and clear so far. He began introducing different wavelengths and signals, trying to capture a definitive read on Venkman's Paranormal power. He calmly informed his subject of each change in frequency or scanning mode, in case any caused stronger results then others.

He paused a moment to ponder; Just what was this 'power', really? Peter had mentioned his father had more or less become a demon, hadn't he? Winston had filled him in on the car conversation, how Peter had been entrenched in the illusion that he wasn't human. So did that make Peter's ability literal magic? There was no denying that demons had power, they'd all seen it. But scientifically, how did it work?

* * *

The voices fell to the back of his minds awareness as Peter zoned out even further without realising it. He felt oddly disconnected, like he was just...drifting. Yet he could hear what was going on around him clear as day.

Egon finished the last of the readings and began shutting the equipment down. For everything he'd been through, Peter showed remarkable resilience. He'd sat through the whole battery of tests without even complaining once. THAT was rare, as he usually threatened to taze Egon if he came anywhere near him with his latest thingy.

Yet, given how half-asleep Peter seemed as he opened his eyes, the man was probably just tired. Egon informed him he'd gotten all the data he needed for now and got a drowsy nod in return. He heard Peter get up from the chair as he turned his back to the room, assuming he was returning to Ray as he rifled through one of his filing cabinets.

* * *

Peter felt like something was gnawing on the periphery of his mind and he glanced around, briefly letting his gaze linger on Ray and Eugene, then continued his silent observation of the room. Nothing seemed amiss, but he was still in that strange fuzzy state where he didn't feel fully….himself.

A sound caught his ear and he turned to stare blankly at the book Eugene had left open on the table. The sensation grew stronger, he NEEDED to go to it.

Without a word he drifted over, the sound getting louder and reaching a fever pitch as he stood before the book. Without a word he reached forward, fingers brushing the page the book was open to…

* * *

"All good, Eeg?" Eugene asked as Egon turned from the shelf.

"Yes and-hm, where's Peter?" Egon looked round, then spotted him stopping in front of the catalogue "ah, Peter, could you bring that over here-!"

Peter reached out as if to touch the book as requested, but soon as he did, a sharp burst of wind radiated out from the books centre, forcing them all to shield their eyes for a moment.

"Peter?!" Ray said anxiously, "What's happening?"

Egon stared as he seen complicated writing form itself around the book, wisps of smoke rising as it burned into the table. The books pages fanned until slamming to an abrupt stop, then looping, glowing writing began etching itself into the blank page that unfurled. Then it abruptly stopped, the connection between Peter and the book seemed to sever and he snapped out of his daze.

Looking down, Peter seen the book now bore unfamiliar writing and the smell of burning wood filled the air. Panic rose like a tidal wave and he stepped back, stomach shifting. Hispulse replaced the strange noise from just seconds before and he felt bile threaten to burn the back of his throat as he fought to breathe.

"Hey, you OK-whoa!"

Eugene approached cautiously, but just as he reached Venkman, the man spun and shot out of the room with such speed it actually knocked Eugene onto his butt.

"Wow...he ever consider trying out for the team?" Eugene said airily, then shook his head to clear it as Eeg helped him to his feet, the sound of Stantz's footsteps echoing in their ears as he raced after Venkman. "No kidding, he's got quite a charge there."

* * *

Ray ran after Peter with no hesitation, catching up to him just as Peter stumbled to a halt a ways down the hall. His whole body was shaking and his breathing was ragged, as if he'd just run a marathon.

"Peter…" Ray approached carefully "it's OK, it's me…"

Peter stumbled round to face him, a look of desperation on his face.

"What WAS that?!" He said hoarsely, "am I losing it, Ray? What did those creeps DO to me-? You're not hurt, are you?!"

Ray stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Venkman and hugged him tightly, all without saying a word. Venkman cut off, making a confused sound as if he didn't understand.

"I don't know what to say Peter, except for this; I'm not leaving, remember? Whatever's going on, we'll find it together, all of us." Ray murmured in his lover's ear as he nuzzled his cheek.

—Raymond..— Peter's throat locked up and all he could do was hold Ray by way of an answer. At last, Ray drew back to look into his eyes.

"I'm fine, everybody's fine. You haven't hurt anyone.." He seen Peter relax a little, although he still seemed tense. After a few more moments passed, he released Venkman and offered a hopeful smile followed by a kiss.

* * *

Back in the room; as Ray comforted Peter…

"What was that, Eeg?" Eugene asked the only remaining Ghostbuster. Egon shook his head, looking over at the book with a frown.

"I don't know, I have never seen anything like that. I'm not sure Venkman was aware of what he was doing but hopefully Ray can persuade him to come back and talk to us."

"His blood sugar must be lower than the IQ of the entirety of a drunken frat party! I have an idea, be right back Eeg."

Egon smiled as Eugene jogged off, he was a good guy, with a good heart...He was still ruminating on this part of his lovers personality when the man returned.

"Doctor V was right, you DON'T blink."

"Hm?" Egon snapped out of it in time to see Eugene hovering in the doorway, regarding him with a raised eyebrow and a smile that made Spengler flush subtly.

"It's cute." Eugene assured him before his precious doctor could get concerned. He walked over to Eeg, leaning in to kiss him-

Footsteps behind him heralded the return of Stantz and Venkman. The former was causing concerned glances at the latter, who looked to be in shock and was staring dully into space.

Ray nudged him towards a chair, then stood by its side as Peter took the proffered tea from Eugene and began drinking it.

"Are you feeling nauseous?" Egon asked after a bout of silence, but Peter just shook his head mutely.

He said nothing for a long time more, just focusing on the tea and the soft humming and clicking of the machines in Egon's lab. When he finished, he set the mug aside on the table.

"Any better?" Eugene asked now, seeing some colour return to doctor Venkmans face "my dad used to make it for me when I was a kid."

Peter nodded then cleared his throat to talk. "Mm-hmm. That's gotta be one of the nicest teas I've had. Sorry for flooring ya back there, my stomach suddenly decided it wanted to train for the 100m lavatory dash."

Eugene chuckled "I have several gold medals in that sport, Doctor V, so no fear. And hey, you'd make a good linebacker with a tackle like that."

This made Peter smile wryly, but he still looked haunted by what had just happened. He sighed, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around his stomach, wishing this would all just….stop. But it wasn't going to, was it?

Ray's hand settled on his back, rubbing it gently. This made him feel a little better, he knew they were all trying to help…

Then Egon murmured something out loud that made Peter go tense.

"...find you someday, Minerva."

Peter's eyes snapped open at the mention of that name and he stumbled out of the chair so fast that he would've fallen over had Ray and Eugene not moved to grab either elbow and support him.

"You going for the fastest face-plant too, doc?" Eugene yelped as he helped steady Venkman.

"W-what?" Peter said dizzily "that can't be..?!"

Egon looked up, seeing Peter looking at him with a puzzled and oddly desperate look. Once they were sure he could walk unaided, Stantz and Eugene let him go, following close behind as Peter went to stand beside Egon, staring down at the ancient writing on the book as his mind whirled.

"Are you sure thats what it says? Minerva?" he asked shakily, throat dry once more. Egon studied him closely, seeing how pale he was, the timbre of his voice; this was something important to him, wasn't it?

"I am VERY certain Peter. My translation is perfect, as I am very familiar with this dialect. Why, does the name mean something to you?"

"Minerva is my mother's name." Peter said, making Egon and Eugene's eyebrows both raise.

Egon opened his mouth, then shut it again, mulling it over.

"What does it say...the rest of it?" Peter asked now. Egon cleared his throat;

"Evil that has unchecked spread, the line must someday be put to bed. Father to son, it comes down to one. I may not be here, but the truth is near. Whatever the way, I will find you someday. This language lends itself to a more poetic cadance, hence the rhyming." Egon glanced at Peter, who looked stunned.

"It's like a message..." Ray whispered softly as he let a hand come to rest at Peters elbow "she must've somehow stored that away in your subconscious, in the hopes you'd recall it if you needed to."

Egon nodded, frowning slightly however "but she cant have known it'd take a magical overload to set it free."

"Or that Doctor V would have any knowledge of the language, or someone like you Eeg." Eugene titled his head to one side as he spoke, then asked;

"Hey, Doctor V, why'd you go for the book?"

"Huh?" Peter stared gormlessly at him, then shrugged and made an annoyed noise. "I don't know! I cant remember a dang thing until the nausea hit me!"

"What about when you sat down for the tests?" Egon asked "you seemed perfectly lucid then.".

Peter rubbed his forehead, this was making him feel dizzy "All I can remember is you telling me to close my eyes and focus, then it all just kinda blanked. Whatever set that crazy book off, it wasn't anything I wanted to occur!"

He glared at the ancient tome now "lets face it, that things out of its little paper gourd as it is! Remember the time it grew the page with that weird illustration when Gozer's little minion abducted Raymond?"

Ray shuddered "like I can forget, that was CREEPY as all get out."

"See?" Peter snorted "that thing just attracts weird!" he turned to storm off, when Egon suddenly put two and two together.

"That's it, it attracts weird-!" he hurriedly cut off as Peter swivelled on the spot, giving him a baleful glare that would've sent a lesser being scurrying for the hills.

Spengler cleared his throat, trying not to laugh as he spotted Eugene mime digging a hole off to one side of Peter.

Ray, however, had no such success, uttering a giggle that he tried to muffle behind his hand. Peter switched his attentions to his amused partner, snagging Ray by his belt and towing him so once again they were nose-to-nose.

"What're you chuckling at, mm?" Peter couldn't help feel his annoyance be blunted a little as Ray's eyes met his, that infectious smile making him feel a little better. He DID however catch a reflection in a glass beaker and realised what was to blame.

"Nothing, honest!" Ray squeaked innocently, reddening as Peter gave him that infamous stare. He was so close it was making Ray feel light-headed…

"Uh-huh." Peter drawled. Behind them, Eugene was now miming downing tools for the day, which DID make Egon crack and allow himself a small snicker.

"Alright, smart-arse, we get the point." Peter gave Eugene a sarcastic look, then rolled his eyes good naturedly. Eugene just grinned, then sat himself on the desk beside his beloved Eeg.

"Anyway, where were we?" Egon thought back over the last minute and his eyes lit up "yes, of course. The book! It attaracts power, so it's possible your brain waves shifted just enough while you were undergoing the tests to draw its attention. From there, it acted almost like Ray said, as an answering machine."

"So youre saying she somehow left that message in my subconscious, but it took a crazy book to unearth it?" Peter groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose "Im starting to wonder if my mother was raised in a hippy commune or something, because none of that makes any sense!"

This caught Egon's attention and he realised there was a connection he'd potentially missed.

"Did your mother have any connection to magical lineage?"

Peter gave him a 'Wut?' look, then shrugged as if that was the end of the matter. But Egon continued to stare at him (complete with lack of blinking) so he sighed heavily and tried to think back to his limited memories.

"I don't know." He said at last, folding his arms and staring off into space. "I have more memories of being found by the cops and the ensuing investigation than I do the woman who just upped and left me there. If she was trying to keep me away from my dad, I guess it makes sense but she left me with no real identity or memory."

"As painful as that no doubt was, I don't blame her," Egon said "it cant have been easy, but what she did was the best in the long run. Given what you've described of your father…you weren't safe around him."

"He's an a-hole." Peter said "I mean, what kind of guy tries to sacrifice his own kid to a demon for pity's sake?!"

He shrugged angrily, wishing she could've found any other way then just abandoning him, but what good did thinking about it now do? "The foster parents were nice folks, even if I did refuse to talk for days. It didn't deter them, they just waited for me to speak then damn near talked my ear off."

"You, not talk? Will wonders never cease?" Egon said dryly, promptly ducking as Peter tried to swat at him. But this was just another indicator the Peter he and the others knew was recovering.

Peter stuck his tongue out at him, then returned his attention to the message in the book. Now he knew what it said, he was more confused then ever…

Eugene noticed Eeg was still stooping slightly and resolved to correct his lover's posture by running a finger up Egon's spine, with the end effect being Egon letting out a loud yelp and standing ramrod straight.

"Was that even english?" Peter asked, giving Egon a look like he thought the genius had lost it, while Ray began laughing softly. Egon twitched, turning slowly to glare at his partner. Eugene bit his lip, then booped Egon on the nose, making his glasses slip down a fraction and causing the man to go cross-eyed into the bargain.

"Honk!" He declared, and Egon twitched.

"Eugeeeenee…" he dragged the name out, sounding vaguely annoyed (for him anyway).

"…I have no regrets!" Eugene declared as he failed to win a stare-down with Spengler, grinning widely as he waited for Egon to punish him.

But Eeg just shook his head and gave Eugene a brief smile before turning his attention back to the book once more. The glasses slipped further and he uttered an annoyed sigh, so Eugene leaned over and swiped them, hopping off the bench in search of a screwdriver.

"What now?" Ray asked Egon, who squinted in what he thought was Ray's direction as he answered.

"I will continue to monitor it, we still don't know exactly what its referring to."

"Isn't it obvious? 'Evil' has to be my father and his crazy-ass cult." Peter said "I've got the details the PI got me about my mother, if those are any use?"

"They undoubtedly will be, thank you Peter." Egon said sagely.

"Uh…brainiac? I'm over here, thats a potted cactus." Peter snickered softly.

"You know I cant see properly without my glasses!" Egon huffed, stumbling in what was more like Peter's direction, almost smacking into the man's chest; so off was his sense of perception. Peter steadied him before he rebounded and fell over, turning him so he faced Eugene as the man approached.

"There, all fixed." Eugene smiled as he set the glasses back on Egon's face, thinking how cute he looked "better?"

Egon nodded, taking a much steadier step forward as Peter let him go, wishing his eyesight wasn't so atrocious.

"Vastly, thank you. These things can be a pain at times."

"Ever tried contact lenses?" Eugene suggested "They might stay in better when you're off doing your thing with the ghosts, but they're kinda expensive. Also a pain if you lose the things."

—Plus, I LIKE your glasses...- he thought it quietly but didn't say it aloud as Egon rubbed his chin, turning the idea over in his mind.

"Maybe it IS worth looking into." Egon sighed at last. "It would save having to constantly replace my frames."

"I dunno, I think a certain someone would be disappointed if you stopped the whole glasses thing." Peter interjected, making Egon blink instinctively at Eugene, who was indeed giving him a slightly wistful look. On hearing Peter's on-the-nose statement and realising he'd been rumbled; Eugene tried to look innocent but failed.

"Called it." Peter grinned, making Eugene groan and facepalm.

"I forgot you can-"

"-Read people like a book, yup. Most of the time anyway…" Peter tried to joke about it, but Ray knew he was still thinking about how he'd unknowingly let Ivan fool him. He stepped over to Peter's side now, settling a hand on his lovers back. Peter blinked, snapping out of his thoughts and tilting his head to give Ray a reassuring smile.

Egon cleared his throat to get things back on track "That is all I need right now, I would advise you get something to eat Peter, your blood sugar seems low."

Peter nodded idly, bidding Egon and his partner farewell as he sauntered out the door. Ray darted after him and could be heard suggesting lunch. His excitable tones mixed with Venkman's amused, laid back ones as they faded from range.

* * *

"They're adorable," Eugene chuckled once hey were out of range "Doc V seems like the type that goes all-out when he wants something."

"Thats pretty much it in a nutshell. Until Ray, however, he has rarely shown ANY inclination to be serious. But as I spotted this morning, its different when he is around Ray."

"There's somebody for everybody, hm?" Eugene winked at Egon, making him smile knowingly.

"Indeed there is, and while I know I will likely regret saying this once he's back to full wise-ass," Egon said as he pinned the books pages open to the message this "Minerva" had written. "I missed the effect he had on everything. He always hides behind his habit of annoying people and winding them up, when he is actually far more perceptive then he realises."

"He can certainly see right through ME, has done from day one." Eugene mused. This made Egon pause for a moment, then he frowned at Eugene, his work forgotten.

"What do you mean, day one?"

Eugene felt himself go red, realising he'd dumped himself in it.

"Ehe, nothing my dear Eeg."

He blushed as Egon stood in front of him, something like an annoyed pout on his elegant features. So he figured he may as well go for broke, it WAS a funny little story.

"Well, you remember after I chickened out and bolted out of your office?"

"Yes. Although 'chickening' is a bit rough, I DID act very abrasively." Egon corrected him and was smooched on the forehead for his trouble. He blinked, silenced as Eugene sat back once more.

"Well, I ran into Peter about five seconds after I left. Seems he'd walked past the office door from the bathroom and heard enough to easily put two and two together."

Egon facepalmed while Eugene carried on regardless;

"Anyway, he pretty much read the situation with just that information, told me I was giving up too easily and said you were likely just surprised. I told him 'thanks, but I think I've embarrassed myself enough' and went to leave, but he grabbed me by the collar and frogmarched me back to the corridor. He shoved me in the direction of your office and more or less said 'just come out with it.' Then swanned off. That was when I came into your office and you fell right into my lap."

Egon chuckled at the reminder. "I see, so that was why you weren't driven away by my rudeness? Makes sense now."

"Yeah, he persuaded me to give it another try. If I'd left, I don't think I'd have had the courage to ask you out."

Egon flushed subtly as he remembered that scenario "I must confess I did not suspect Peter had a hand in that occasion, but it fits with his nature. He can talk anyone into anything if you give him half a chance!" He pondered for a moment. "Huh. Wait- if he knew the whole time, then that teasing after the first morning was VERY well rehearsed. Doubly so if, as Alessa postulated, he and Ray-" he cut off there, coughing, that bit was rather personal.

But Eugene raised an eyebrow, getting the gist fast. "Sooo….we weren't the only ones enjoying a morning after, then? Heh, explains why dr Stantz didn't have the heart to scold him much."

Egon nodded in amusement as the pieces all slotted into place. It was a funny thought, knowing Peter had helped bring him and Eugene together. A hand brushed his cheek and he looked up in time to receive a quick kiss on the lips from his lover.

"I owe him one, because if he hadn't intervened, I wouldn't be able to do this-"

Egon made a startled but happy sound as he was swept into a passionate kiss that took his breath away. He uttered a contented groan, wrapping his arms around Eugene and returning the kiss…

He felt Eugene's hands slide down his back and lightly squeeze his bottom. A rush of adrenaline ran through him and he heard his own voice asking if the door was shut..?

* * *

"What about lunch?" Ray suggested to Peter as they left the lab "that way we can get you some fresh air.."

"Sure, why not. And I can get a haircut at last, going back to my joke about hippies earlier..." Peter laughed and ran a hand through his messy hair while Ray titled his head to one side, flushing a little as he bit his lower lip.

"I like it, it's kinda cute, Peter."

Peter chuckled, giving Ray's bottom a quick pat as he headed for the bedroom area "that is just adorable Ray, but it keeps getting in my way and it tickles."

"Aw," Ray pouted, but smiled when he heard Peter laugh again. Inside, he was grinning ear to ear- this was a dream come true. He had his Peter back, the man was smiling again, actually opening up to his friends-

Venkman turned abruptly just as they reached the shared bathroom, pulling Ray into his arms and kissing him intensely. Ray sighed happily, melting into his lovers embrace, still silently celebrating Peter's return.

They took quick showers (with Peter using a remarkable amount of restraint in letting Ray go an entire shower without being carted off to the nearest bed) and changed into fresh clothes. Ray turned various shades of red as Peter openly admired him as they dressed, but he couldn't deny that he liked it. More kissing promptly followed, with Peter murmuring Ray's name between each one, making the syllable sound as seductive as possible.

* * *

Having satisfied his desire to kiss his lover until he was near dizzy, Peter followed Ray downstairs, listening to him ramble on about where to go-? He was so eager to help, it made Peter adore the cute and innocent Stantz even more.

"Anywhere is fine, really." Peter chuckled as Ray ran through every eatery he knew.

"You sure? Ooh, what about pancakes-" Ray piped up, only to be snared around the middle and kissed swiftly by Peter as they stepped onto the floor.

"I like YOURS. They're the sweetest..." Peter said huskily, his old flirty self stretching its legs too. Piece by piece he was starting to feel like before...he was about to kiss Ray again when-

"Oh!" both of them jumped this time and looked ahead, seeing Janine stepping in the front door. She seemed surprised to see Peter up and about, let alone dressed, actually smiling OR canoodling with dr Stantz.

"H-hey Janine," Ray squeaked nervously as she set her stuff down on her desk. He flushed brightly, but Eugene had already startled him so this second surprise wasn't so bad. Besides, Janine knew, she'd been talking to him on and off about it in an effort to make Ray feel better while Peter battled his demons.

Peter reluctantly released Ray and Stantz said he'd grab their coats so they could get going.

—I can't believe it,— Janine thought as she shrugged off her jacket, draping it over her chair —is he feeling better?—

She seen how Peter was watching Ray with a fondness and gratitude that She had never seen on him before. She hadn't honestly been all that surprised by Peter's preference, as he'd never seemed bothered when some of the male reporters they encountered had hit on him, and to the untrained eye he merely seemed sarcastic as ever.

"Feeling better?" she asked him now, seeing him jump slightly as he snapped out of his thoughts. It took a second for him to reply, as he seemed to decide how much of his expression needed to remain neutral, eventually managing a faint smile.

"Yeah, I just needed a nights rest away from the nightmares." Peter said softly and she seen his gaze shift back to Ray as he emerged with their coats. She gathered dr Stantz had managed to make a breakthrough and nodded.

"That's good, it was getting too quiet without you finding creative ways to insult people. Plus not enough things were inexplicably on fire." she said glibly, making Venkman snort softly, the smile increasing a fraction as Ray approached.

"Where you guys headed?" She asked as they shrugged the coats on.

"Food." Ray said.

"And a barbers," Peter added "I NEED a haircut."

"True, I was wondering if you were gonna go for a ponytail next." Janine said idly, smirking as Venkman gave her old his trademark glare. It was followed by a brief but knowing smirk, and she got the feeling he appreciated the old jokes.

"Well, in university, he-" Ray began, but Peter silenced him with a finger pressed to his lips again.

"Quiet you." He said sternly "not one more word."

"Which university was it again?" Janine grinned widely.

"University of-!" Ray moved his head just enough-

"Hush now, my dear Ray." Peter said sternly, moving to again still his partners lips.

"What year?" Janine called with an evil grin and Ray automatically tilted his head to catch her eye again, freeing his mouth once more.

"19-mpf!"

Peter went for broke and grabbed Ray's collar, shutting him up by way of a kiss.

"Classy." Janine remarked, eyebrow raising as Venkman planted one on Stantz. She wasn't going to lie, this WAS pretty cute and she wished she had a camera…

Ray was about the same colour as a tomato when Venkman let him go, slightly dazed from the surprise smooch. Peter smirked smugly, but there was a look of affection in his eyes as he spoke.

"I win. Now let's go, I'm starving."

Ray nodded blankly, saying bye to Janine before darting after Peter as he swanned out the door.

* * *

—Those two should be under "odd couple" in the dictionary.— Janine shook her head. She never would've thought of dr Venkman as the type to fall in love, but as Winston had noted early that morning also, something about the way Peter looked at Ray spoke volumes.

"Janine." Egon's voice startled her out of her thoughts and she blinked at him vacantly.

"Sorry, my mind was miles away." She shook her head, noticing he cradled a radio-sized box in one arm "What ya got there?"

Egon set the device down on her desk and began explaining it in his usual detail. Janine couldn't help study his face, he was a very handsome man and she flat-out envied Eugene. She'd had a feeling ever since the guy had referred to Egon as "Eeg", that he was somebody special to the polymath, as Egon got twitchy when anyone else attempted to nickname him anything, so letting 'Eeg' slip was a dead giveaway. Wether he knew that she knew, or if he even cared, it didn't matter.

"Venkman seems in good spirits, did you pull a miracle out of the containment unit or something?" She asked when he'd finished his explanation. "I walked in the front door and he's flirting on full intensity with dr Stantz."

Egon smiled very faintly, nodding as he did. "Well, it's more like RAY did something. I don't know precisely what or how, but he convinced Peter to leave the attic and eat a proper breakfast for the first time in weeks.-"

He cut off, expression going blank then he facepalmed "I forgot about that blasted pancake!"

Janine stared at him like he'd lost the plot.

"Pancake?" She said slowly "is that code for something you're working on?"

"No no no," Egon shook his head in exasperation "See- when Winston and I left the bedroom area, we found Ray and Peter laughing themselves silly. It turned out a pancake had gotten stuck to the ceiling and for reasons best left unknown, it was making them laugh like lunatics."

"Okayyy…." Janine nodded slowly. "Pancakes are funny, got it."

"Well, this one had a bizarre burn pattern- it'd make more sense to see it for yourself." Egon finished with a shake of his head. Janine promptly followed him upstairs and when she seen the pancake of legend, and she couldn't help but laugh a little.

"How'd it come to look like a smiley face?"

"I have no clue, but we heard Peter saying there was a reason his foster mother never let him cook. I assume Ray was trying to teach him and things went awry."

"Ah, I see-" Janine did a double take "wait, foster mom? I didn't know he was adopted?"

She fell silent, recalling Peter never really spoke about his background.

"It's a long story," Egon explained "but it's related to the kidnapping incident."

"Ah, I see. I'll leave it then." Janine said quietly. She'd been shocked and saddened by what those cultists had done to Venkman, it was awful. No wonder he'd had a breakdown…she'd let him off the hook until he was over this.

After that? It was ON.

* * *

The two Ghostbusters headed for a barbers first, where Peter finally got his hair cut back to its usual style, which Ray still thought was a shame. Peter looked cute with longer hair…

After that was lunch at a much-loved pizza joint.

Surrounded by the noise, laughter and Ray's excitable conversation, Peter soon felt even closer to how he'd been before. He could forget his concerns for the time being and pretend nothing had happened, even though he knew he couldn't stay away forever. He made as many ludicrous jokes as he could just to make Ray laugh, enjoying the sound of his laughter combined with the precious knowledge the rest of the world didn't know; that this cute, sexy and innocent man was far more than just a friend to him.

As he took a drink to soothe his throat after laughing his rear end off at Peter's lewd jokes, Ray caught a glimpse of the necklace he'd given the older man and felt a smile warm his face. That little gift had made more of an impact than he'd dared hope. When he and Peter had slept together last night, it was ALL he'd been wearing…

Hearing Peter chuckle, he snapped out of his daze. They were tucked away in a booth where they had at least a little privacy away from the plate glass windows. Peter was looking at him with a vaguely amused expression and Ray had to fight not to blush.

"W-what is it?" He stammered softly.

"You were spacing out, and if I'm right," Peter gave a sly smile "that means you're thinking something cute. You made that face the first night, and again at your apartment when you mentioned our university days…"

Ray squeaked softly.

"Nailed it, didn't I?" Peter's voice dropped to a seductive husky whisper that sent a shiver up Ray's spine. His heart was racing, Peter was so fearless, wasn't he? He easily kissed him right in front of Janine and flirted seemingly without any hesitation.

Ray envied him, he was still turning red from how big a rush those affectionate gestures gave him.

Peter smiled and slipped him a sly wink as he resumed his lunch. Ray tucked back into his pizza, heart running rapidly around his chest as they settle into companionable silence.

* * *

They returned to HQ after lunch was over, with Ray silently celebrating inside to see Peter looking so much happier. With the burden that last night's confession seemed to have taken off his shoulders, he was progressing well, although Ray worried it may be a little much all at once and hoped Peter would allow himself to relax and recover at his own rate.

They greeted Janine as they wandered into the lobby, with Ray asking where everyone else was as Peter put their coats away.

"Winston's meeting his girlfriend for lunch and Egon's in his lab. Last I seen him, Eugene was messing about with one of the proton packs in the testing area."

This last bit made Peter blink, but he dismissed the thought as paranoid. Egon's partner had seemed curious about the whole Ghostbusting thing while he'd sat through Egon's tests, made sense Egon would indulge his curiosity. Even PECK had once had a try with a pack and bar setting a thatched roof and several trees on fire, Venkman very grudgingly admitted he wasn't the absolute WORST at it.

—Those tests Egon did, I can't even remember what they were. I ran off, I was convinced I was going crazy…AGAIN.— Part of his stomach sank when he thought about the results said tests might show.

"Peter?" Ray's gentle voice broke into his thoughts and he snapped out of his daze to see Ray was standing beside him and peering anxiously at his face. With a sinking stomach, Peter realised he'd just been standing there, staring into space…

"I-it's nothing." He said, wincing at how his voice betrayed him, so he just focused on the stairs as he darted up them, his mind awhirl.

* * *

Ray followed after him, catching Peter's wrist in a gentle grip as they reached the lounge and using momentum to turn the other Ghostbuster to face him. Without a word, he kissed Peter, knowing this was hard for him; he'd resigned himself to being secluded from everyone else because he'd believed he was a danger; being reunited with his previously ordinary life was jarring. He wrapped his arms around Peter's middle, gradually feeling the tension gradually ease from his lover's body as they kissed.

"Ray…" Peter murmured as he drew back to study the younger man "You're a miracle, you know that?"

Ray blushed but couldn't help a happy smile. He drew Peter over to the couch, where they curled up to watch TV together, all with barely a word being spoken. Peter found he was still pretty exhausted despite the nights sleep and at some point he fell asleep with his head resting on Ray's shoulder, aware of the reassuring warmth of his friends body.

Ray's heart picked up its pace as he glanced at Peter to gauge his reaction to the show in progress, only to realise the man was fast asleep, body tucked up atop the couch and pressed close to Ray's side. He flushed, ever-so-gently slipping an arm around Peter so he didn't slip off the couch. Yes, that was why…

Peter shifted automatically in his sleep, uttering a faint noise and making himself more comfy with Ray's arm now securing him. Ray honestly thought he would explode from the cuteness.

Janine came upstairs just then, opening her mouth to ask if they wanted coffee- but stopped when she seen how they were positioned and the fact Venkman was snoozing on Ray.

"He's like a cat," she giggled softly, keeping her voice low so Venkman wouldn't wake "What're the odds he'll climb onto your lap next, dr Stantz?"

Ray went BRIGHT red and facepalmed softly.

"He doesn't scratch, does he?" She teased with a wink, making Ray give her a death-stare that was on par with the ones Egon usually gave Peter when he was being a pain in the butt. Janine giggled as she went over to the machine, she couldn't help tease them.

Ray tried to get his blushing under control, but he didn't have a witty response like Peter usually did. It dint help that Peter looked so dang cute asleep like that…

Janine got her coffee and left to them alone, departing with one final "meow?" Before escaping out of range.

* * *

Ray closed his eyes, heart racing. He wished he could learn Peter's whip-fast sarcasm, although he knew Janine's teasing wasn't cruel, she'd spent many an afternoon talking to Ray about stuff like dates and romance…

He was starting to doze off himself, lulled by the sound of the TV as well as the warm body he was cosied up to when Peter uttered a worried noise and his body tensed. Ray lifted one hand to brush strands of hair away from Peters forehead-

The next second Venkman bolted awake with a frantic cry, saying something Ray couldn't make out as he tore free from his partner's hold and scrambled back, body coiled to strike-

Ray stayed still, keeping his eyes on Peter as he spoke; the frantic, guttural fear in his eyes was worrying. Was he having nightmares?

"Peter." he said softly "it's OK..."

Peter blinked, snapping out of his daze and staring at Ray in shock. How could he have reacted like that to his safe and familiar Ray? His shoulders slumped as the tension evaporated and he closed his eyes, sitting himself normally atop the couch with his head in his hands.

"Are you OK, was I..should I not have held you?" Ray whispered worriedly and Peter shook his head franticly, not wanting Ray to think that.

"No, thats not it- I fell asleep BECAUSE you were so warm and comforting, cutie. I'm sorry Ray, it's not your fault, I promise."

"-I heard noises, someone see a rat or something?" Janine appeared at the top of the stairs, drawn by the sound she'd heard as she'd been heading back up from checking on Eugene down in the basement.

"It's all right, it was just...me. Nightmare. No mice, Janine." Peter said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair as he stared a hole in the floorboards under his feet.

Janine looked from him to Ray, who was sitting on the other side of the couch, the TV forgotten as he studied Venkman in concern. He shot her a look that said "it's OK, I got it.".

"Oh, well, no rodents is always good news!" she exclaimed with a sigh of relief "because I see enough mice living around where my apartment is. Ugh, so gross." She disappeared back downstairs, grumbling about rats as well. Peter had sensed a million questions but for whatever reason, she'd let him off this time.

—There's gonna be a debt of sarcasm coming my way if I ever find my way back to normal…—

"Peter.." Ray said, setting a hand on Venkman's shoulder and drawing Peter's attention back to him. 'Maybe you should come see dr Silverstream with me-"

"No, I don't-" Peter shook his head and scowled "I'm already a shrink, Ray. I don't get how seeing one will help!"

"What was it you said earlier, someone's gotta police the police? Other people can see things about us that we overlook, YOU taught me that. Please, Peter…I'm-"

"Worried about me, I haven't forgotten." Peter said, getting a hope, wavering smile in return as Ray waited for his answer.

Peter sighed, he didn't like having his personal life scrutinised, despite the fact he did such a thing as a job (aside from Ghostbusting.) But he seen how concerned Ray was and he wanted to leave this whole ordeal behind him…

Could he go through with this?

"OK.." He whispered at last. Ray looked immensely relieved and hugged Peter tightly, murmuring a thank-you. Peter smiled softly, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of his skin as Ray hugged him tightly. Ray really was a total sweetheart-

"Can't refuse you, can I?" he purred as he nipped at Ray's earlobe. This caught Ray off guard and he squeaked loudly, making Janine twitch downstairs. Were those boys sure they didn't have mice..?

Peter pulled back to kiss Ray, feeling his heart pound in excitement as they became locked in one anothers embrace. Eventually they parted, Ray flushed but grinning ear to ear.

"OK, I'll trust your judgement." Peter said "but if this guy starts trying to analyse my freudian complex, he's gonna regret it."

Ray chuckled, happily kissing Peter's lips by way of a thank you before reluctantly parting from Peter to go fetch the paperwork for the doctor in question.

* * *

He returned with the collected paperwork he'd amassed during his visits and curled up next to Peter to begin telling him about Silverstream.

Peter noticed he and this guy shared more than a few classes and qualifications, maybe he WOULD understand? The hardest person to psychoanalyse WAS your own self, there was also that. His eyes shifted from the paperwork to Rays mouth, and he longed to still those soft lips with a kiss-

"He's a nice guy, Peter and he specialises in trauma. He's helped a lot of patients, here, theres some testimonials in the back-"

The klaxon began to ring, startling the two and nearly making Ray drop the paperwork.

Egon came pelting in from the hall that led to his lab, looking questioningly at Ray.

Ray realised Spengler was asking was he coming or staying here with Venkman and he glanced to Peter- but Peter read his expression and shook his head.

"I'll be alright, you scoot off if you want to. Don't work yourself too hard, ok?"

"He's not YOU, peter." Egon said dead-pan, earning a middle finger and a smirk.

"Up yours, Spengs." Venkman retorted, making Egon pull a smug face.

"Do I need to be jealous- eep!" Eugene suddenly interrupted before Spengler could fire back, popping his head up above the stairwell, then ducking back down instantly as Egon flew at him, making a garbled noise that sounded like a mix of death threats and a smidge of affection at the end as he chased his partner downstairs.

"All we need is the roadrunner music and we'll be all set." Peter snorted, then he burst out laughing. Ray shook his head.

"I think he's having an effect on Egon…" he laughed, catching Peters eye and seeing the man grin.

Ray squeezed Peter's hand in farewell before he ran downstairs to grab his uniform. Peter followed him idly, feeling a little jab of surprise when he seen a fourth person in the car- for a moment he felt like he'd had one of those out-of-body gigs, before realising Eugene really WAS helping Egon out, it wasn't just an affectionate gesture to his boyfriend.

-Have I really been gone that long?— he wondered, still gazing into space.

"Doctor Venkman, are you alright?" he felt a hand on his arm to go with the voice and he instinctively jumped, a much diluted bolt of surprise making him go tense. He forced himself to relax and fumbled for words;

"It's- I'm fine. I'm just tired, I'm going to go take a nap-"

"Well, at least sleep on one of the couches, that stuffy attic cant be all that good for you." Janine added.

"I probably HAVE inhaled a moth or two." Peter mused, making Janine shudder.

"I HATE moths," She grouched as she sat down "they're creepy."

"Taste weird, too."

"Ew, dr Venkman, stop-!" she griped, hearing Peter chuckle faintly. He was off up the stairs before she could glare at him again. She shook her head, what had Stantz done to get Peter this far back to his usual self? Sure, she'd seen the brief flinch when shed set a hand on his arm, but compared to all those times she'd seen him react more bodily, desperately putting as much space between himself and the one close to him- this was a miracle.

Yet there remained the brief look in his eyes as he'd watched his friends drive off, was he missing his job? It was natural after such an absence, but why THAT face? Shed sworn it'd been a look of pain, something about the scene had hurt…

She shook her head, she wasn't a shrink, but even she could guess Peter's recovery was only just starting..

* * *

Upstairs, Peter curled up atop the couch in the kitchen/dining area. He flashed back to the previous night, his recollections of Ray's gentle hands and the sensations of pleasure lulling him to sleep.

While he slept, Janine worked, occasionally going upstairs for cups of coffee. She moved quietly so as not to disturb the slumbering Venkman. At least he'd taken her advice and passed out on something comfier then whatever little bolt-hole he'd built in the attic. She also noted he REALLY slept like a cat, curled up at one end of the couch with his face buried in the crook of his arm.

When she got back downstairs, someone was there waiting for her. It was her niece Cait, holding a box and grinning ear to ear.

"Hey, kiddo!" Janine hugged her tightly "how's things?"

"Oh, they're great aunt Janine! I just wanted to drop this off, I found it in a cute little shop on the way to Erica's party."

Janine's eyes widened as she opened the box, seeing a beautiful necklace shaped like a rudimentary dagger. The edged were scalloped and it looked quite old. Cait showed an identical one hanging from her neck.

"They're a pair. I figured it'd be cool if we matched." She set it around her aunt's neck and beamed at how it matched her vest.

"It's beautiful, thank you sweetie." Janine beamed, hugging her niece tightly. Neither of them seen the gems glow just faintly, for the firehouse carried lots of ambient energy within its walls, amongst other things; one of which was napping upstairs and having a very weird dream about a talking inflatable parrot-

"What's this party about then?" Janine asked Cait as she fetched the girl a drink from the supply she kept in a mini fridge behind her desk. Cait drunk about half of it in one go, the walk over had been more of an exercise then she'd thought…

"Erica's birthday is technically not for another few days, but she wanted to have a party on a day we could ALL visit. So somehow she persuaded her dad to let her have us over while he's at work."

Janine raised an eyebrow, this was unusual. Cait seen her expression and nodded.

"Exactly, that was my reaction too. Mr Astrada isn't known for being all that laid back-"

Just then, there came a loud THUD and a curse-word Cait hadn't ever heard before. She stopped mid-word, staring at the stairwell.

Janine blinked, then shook her head, stepping back from her niece and calling up the stairs;

"You all right up there, Dr Venkman?"

"Buhh….I have a headache and appear to be enamoured with the floor, but I'm fine." a grumpy male voice drifted down to them. Cait giggled, she hadn't met her aunts co-workers much, but she knew Venkman was the one who mercilessly wound her aunt up, the guy was a smart-ass on speed if her aunt's description was anything to go by.

"I gotta run, if I'm late Erica will never let me hear the end of it," Cait giggled "have fun aunty Janine!"

"You too sweetie, thank you for the gift!" Janine waved goodbye as her excitable relative jogged out the door, letting it click shut behind her.

* * *

Upstairs, Peter heard someone leave and yawned, wondering idly at who it was? Didn't Janine have a sister who had kids…? He was too tired to recall anything beyond where up and down belonged on his internal GPS.

He briefly dozed off again, feeling strangely leaden and his dreams were sporadic, like fragments. In the end he woke up with a hankering for caffeine and a minor headache.

He made some coffee on the (thankfully) repaired machine and was just getting comfortable on the couch, with coffee in hand, when he heard a muffled thud and a strange feeling crawled up his spine.

"Janine? You drop something?" He called, frowning when she apparently ignored him. He tried to brush it off, but the creeping sense just would not go away, and so with an annoyed huff he headed downstairs.

"Janine, did you switch on all of Egon's plasma balls again? The hair on my neck keeps standing up and it's REALLY annoying. Also, stop ignoring me when I'm complaining, it's rude…" he trailed off as he seen the reason why Melnitz wasn't answering him.

Janine was staring dully at a glowing thing that was just floating in front of her eyes. It looked like some sort of boring old rock on the end of a chain. As Peter stared, the crystal floated back, then lined up what definitely looked like a sharp end towards her. Peter's eyes went wide and he all but threw himself in her direction, locking an arm around her and pulling both of them to the floor just as the pointy thing whizzed overhead, thudding into the filing cabinets.

"Wha..?" Janine snapped out of her fog and tried to sit up, only to find herself pulled back down to the floor.

"Don't move..." Peter whispered. She stared at him in total confusion, then it all came rushing back; She'd been studying the way the gem had shone, but then it'd started to glow much more then just a mere refraction of sunlight and things had gone fuzzy around the edges as she got to her feet-

That was where her memory stopped and she realised she'd been hypnotised by whatever was in that necklace. By some miracle, Peter had ambled downstairs in time to pull some heroics, which explained why he was keeping them pressed to the floor as he assessed the situation.

"What's going on?!" she hissed urgently to him.

"How would I know? I was upstairs trying to make coffee!" Peter shot back, now motioning her to scoot out from behind the desk, as above them the sharp gem was trying to pull itself free from the cabinet.

"That thing was trying to kill me!" Janine wheezed, feeling about to be sick as she stumbled after Venkman.

"Given its apparent supernatural...ness, I don't think so. Something tells me it would've taken control of your body instead." Peter said absently. Janine's stare bored into him and he groaned, realising that had to have sounded a little TOO advanced for him "don't ask how I know that, please..."

He continued to motion her towards the door and once they reached the lockers the boys used for their things, Peter fumbled for the lock on his and flung it open, dragging the proton pack out of it.

Janine peeked round the door and her heart sank as she seen the thing had now freed itself and was quickly reorienting. Looking for THEM.

She whispered this to Venkman, who wrestled the pack on, kicked the door shut and opened fire just as it shot at him. The thing flipped, causing the beam to ricochet, glancing off a beam.

"Oh, it is ON." Peter growled, ramping up the power on the pack and narrowing his vision to the pesky object. But its small size made it difficult to hit and Peter was soon starting to get annoyed. After it embedded itself in the wall above the tool station this time, he gestured for Janine to get to the radio.

"Get the others-!" he said shortly and she nodded, grabbing the radio as he moved to place himself between its line of fire and her. But the agile object had gotten wise to them now and moved at such a speed that Peter lost track of it-

His vision blurred as the blinding proton beam filled the air and he blinked drops of sweat from his eyes. Then he seen it, again aiming for Janine, so he levelled the proton beam, but the thing swung round on a dime and sliced the back of his hand, crimson splatters hitting the floorboards. Peter bit back a curse and a snarl of pain was all that escaped as the neutron wand slipped from his grasp thanks to the bleeding.

Janine turned from struggling to get the radio to work and was horrified to see blood flowing from Peter's hand.

For a brief moment, both were distracted and the phantom in charge of the gem decided to take them both out now-

Janine seen it rocketing towards them and shut her eyes, wishing she had something to fight with- She became aware of Venkman shifting so he stood between her and it as time itself seemed to slow...

Peter shut his eyes, his fury mounting. Feeling a crackling sensation around his right hand he felt his heart tense. He didn't want to do it but- he had no choice.

Janine's jaw dropped as she seen Venkman raise one hand, blindsiding it with a speed she didn't think he possessed. Red flickers of energy seemed to dance around Venkmans hand, as of alive... There was a flash as the two opposing energies collided and the possessed gem was sent flying across the room into a workbench, time returning to itself.

It lay there for a moment, in which Janine tried to rationalise what she just seen. Somehow, Venkman had…what-? Used some kind of magic trick to divert the thing? No, that didn't make sense, maybe it'd just been the blur of blood, it HAD been red after all…

Peter clenched this hands tightly, not caring that it made the wound bleed even more. He felt sick, acid burning his throat-

Janine heard him make a pained noise and stumble slightly on his feet. Again she seen the blood from the wound and opened her mouth to suggest she fetch the first aid kit-

But then they felt the room turn icy and both looked over at the spot where the thing hand landed, seeing a faint blue light was now escaping it. It lifted up from the floor and shot away, reforming in the middle of the room. It was a loosely humanoid shape; yet something was a little odd. Peter thought he was cross-eyed, because it looked like there was a shadowy copy of the figure stuck to the side of the glowing blue one.

"Are there...two of them?" Janine asked from behind him as she stared, still clutching the radio in her hands.

"You see it too? I though I'd just hit my head a little too hard earlier-!" Peter bleated in bewilderment as he unhitched the wand again, powering the pack up. The ghost screamed as it threw itself at Venkman, but Peter had had quite enough. This thing was in a form he COULD handle and he wasn't letting it evade him again. He passed the trap to Janine between blasts, who kept an eye on the ghost as it wrestled in the neutrona beam.

"Now!" Peter yelled and she nodded, lobbing the trap and stomping down on the panel. The spirit was dragged in, kicking and screaming all the way, then the trap slammed shut and silence rang.

Peter sighed in relief, scooping the trap up as he walked past the stunned Janine. He'd just reached the steps leading to the basement when she spoke;

"Doctor Venkman, what was that red light?! What did you do-?" she asked, stopping dead as she seen Peter flinch angrily, that same look of pain from earlier crossing his face as he spoke, body tense and voice strained.

"It was a last ditch shot, Janine. It was either that or end up possessed. So I tried hitting it."

"Are you serious? Doc- that looked like some kinda magic-" she stopped again as Peter turned his head to look at her. His expression was a mix of things; anger, frustration and a hollow sadness that she couldn't put into words. He turned to face her directly now, hands clenched at his sides.

"You want an answer Janine?! Fine. When those weirdos decided to ruin my life, they included a bonus by leaving me with the sort of by-product that'd get me burnt at a stake if this wasn't the modern age! And it's not showing ANY signs of leaving. That cleared it up? Good." Peter turned sharply and took off downstairs before she could stop him.

* * *

Janine sat on the edge of the desk, mind spinning as Venkman's rant replay din her head. She recalled Ray saying Peter had been badly affected by the kidnapping, had he meant it that literally? Just what HAD they done to dr Venkman to cause that much unrest?

It hit her then that all those power surges she'd complained about. Could they have been from this? She felt a sense of sympathy now, it explained why Peter had been secluding himself from the others, he'd been afraid they'd regard him as a freak.

She let her mind wander, what a strange morning it'd been. First Cait's visit, now this-

Her stomach hit the floor in horror and she almost FLEW down the stairs to the basement where the containment unit sat.

"DR VENKMAN!" she cried in panic as she looked around the cavernous space for him.

"What're you yelling about?" Peter materialised from round the side of the unit, where he had been doing his best to bandage his hand and looked at the freaked out Janine. She ran over, shaking his shoulders as she babbled;

"There were two of them-!"

"Yeah, I know, I seen the siamese ghost or whatever-"

"No!" Janine shook him again, he was starting to get a cramp in his neck now "there were two of those necklaces! My niece, she has one- we have to find her!"

"Alright, alright! Just stop shaking me, geez!" Peter grumbled, rubbing his neck as she let go of him at last "cool it, already."

"What if she gets hurt- oh no..." Janine looked ready to start hyperventilating. Peter sighed, pushing aside the matter of his impromptu display of 'power' for now, he dint want some kid getting hurt, as much as he complained about them in general.

* * *

"Did you try radioing the others?" he said gruffly as he headed back upstairs. Janine shook her head then went over to where she'd left the radio atop the desk, but no matter how much she messed with the dials, the thing was dead.

"Why isn't it working?" she panicked anew and Peter winced, it was probably HIS fault; his power did seem to cause surges like this. He shook his head, pushing the thought away for now as he headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Janine asked and Peter stopped, looking over her shoulder.

"Im not going anywhere, WE'RE going to find your niece. Grab your keys, lets go already."

Janine nodded, grabbing her bag and racing after him. She flung herself into the drivers seat while Peter sat in the passenger seat with the proton pack on his lap. He'd grabbed a fresh trap, along with a PKE meter from the workbench.

"She said she was going to her friends house, thankfully its one I'm familiar with-!" Janine babbled as she drove as fast as she could towards the house in question. She glanced at Peter as she drove, but he seemed to have withdrawn into himself, the display earlier clearly bothered him deeply.

They reached the house inside of ten minutes, bundling themselves out of the car and racing up to the front door as Peter buckled the pack on. Janine knocked on the door, heart in her mouth…

* * *

Erica heard the doorbell and called for her friends to keep partying as she jogged down the hall to the door. She opened it, seeing a red-headed woman she knew to be Cait's aunt, and with her was a tall guy wearing a piece of complex machinery; she recognised both things from the magazines in her room.

"Whoa…dr Venkman?! For real?" she grinned, this was so cool! "did Cait call you?"

"Im afraid this is serious," Janine interrupted the girl as she gawked at Venkman in awe "Cait's in danger, she's wearing a necklace-!"

"Yeah I seen it, but what do you mean by danger-?"

"We'll explain later," Peter said bluntly "right now, we need to get that thing away from her before-"

There was an outbreak of screams and Peter facepalmed.

"Oh for- never mind."

Erica turned and ran back inside, followed by Peter and Janine. The charged into the main room, which was absolutely massive, Peter noted. This place was huge, like seriously rich people HUGE. That thought as forgotten as he seen a familiar sight. The glowing gem was zooming erratically about, as if unable to locate its target.

Then Venkman registered on its Radar and something very weird happened. It willingly dropped its armour, the necklace clattering to the floor as the siamese ghost appeared in the air. It was like a mirror copy of the one they'd trapped not an hour ago.

It glared balefully down at Venkman, pointing one bony finger at him.

"Destroyer..." it hissed with a voice full of hatred.

"Aw, you must've met my ex.." Peter joked, smirking as he powered up the pack "I kicked your friends butt, now you're up next-!"

The thing screamed in response, the sound loud enough to shatter glass and make everyone duck for cover. Thankfully the kids were in the centre of the room, away from the plate glass windows that now lay in thick shards.

Peter pushed past the ringing in his ears, opening fire on the ghost as the kids quickly got out of the way. With the spook having so foolishly dropped its disguise in its haste to confront him, Peter had a much easier time capturing this one.

It kicked and screamed futilely as the proton beam snared it as it made to flee, dragging it down towards the Ghostbuster. With a practised ease that didn't seem affected by his absence, Peter shifted to a one-handed grip, the free hand unhitching the trap and lobbing it in an expert arc.

A burst of light, one final scream and the trap slammed shut in the deafening silence that followed. Peter set the wand back in its holder, the rush of adrenaline was a welcome sensation.

—Hello, old friend.— He mused as he picked up the trap, reattaching it to his belt. A babble of voices welled up in the background to rapidly fill the stunned silence that often followed a bust.

Peter turned in time for the kids to swarm around him, their eyes fixed on the trap and all asking questions at once. Erica was in what Winston had dubbed "fangirl mode", bombarding him with questions, asking for a 'selfie' with him, pulling a magazine out of thin air along with a pen- Since it was the girl's birthday, Peter gave in and humoured her on all counts, which made her grin ear-to-ear.

"You guys are so cool, I cant believe you see those sorts of things every day…" one of Erica's other friends said to the Ghostbuster. Just wait until the school heard about this; a real-life Ghostbuster had turned dup at Erica's party, kicked ass and shut the thing in a trap!

Peter chuckled "It is a pretty crazy job, but somebody's gotta do it! Speaking of, who's your insurance carrier?" he looked around at the damage. Some scorch marks on the wall, and the broken glass. He'd seen worse, if he was to be honest.

"Oh, that's in dad's office. I'll go call him…"

"I'll come with you, he's probably gonna be upset when he hears the news and I'm used to being yelled at." Peter joked as he followed after her.

He heard Janine offering to help the kids clean up while he dealt with that, a glance over his shoulder showed Cait sticking close to her aunt and looking shellshocked.

* * *

Erica rang her dad, and just like Peter had predicted, he hit the roof when his daughter asked about their housing insurance. Peter jabbed the speakerphone button and the voice filled the plush office.

"Erica Astrada, I knew letting you have your pre-birthday party on your own was a bad idea, you are never-"

Seeing Erica on the verge of tears, Peter stepped in.

"If I may interrupt-"

"Who the heck are YOU?!" Mr Astrada bellowed, why was there some strange sounding man there? Was he a cop?! But he soon switched from anger to alarm when he caught the man's name.

"I'm Doctor Peter Venkman, of the Ghostbusters. I just attended a disturbance at your daughters party, a small case of possessed jewellery. One of your daughters friends is our secretary's niece, so I said I'd take a look."

"A g-ghost..?" Astrada stammered, surprised. Sure he'd heard of these guys and knew his daughter had a teenage crush on at least two of them, but he'd never expected it to affect him.

"Erica?"

"It's true, dad. It was seriously creepy, and ugly too. It freaked out when it seen the Ghostbuster, it was MAD."

"Yeah, that happens. Word gets around, we're essentially the afterlife police to them!" Peter joked.

"W-well," mr Astrada cleared his throat "how much damage was there?"

"Not that much, comparatively speaking. Some damage to the wallpaper and the windows along with a lot of other glass stuff was broken when the thing screamed at us. Sonic sound waves, messy business."

Peter was eventually able to talk the father into being calm enough to give him the insurance details AND relent on his threat to punish his daughter.

"I'll be home asap, Erica. Don't worry sweetie, it'll be fine. And thank you, doctor, it's much appreciated."

Peter thanked him and smiled at the girl, who looked ready to faint as the call came to an end.

"Seriously, how did you do that? Dad usually never calms down like that."

Peter chuckled as he followed her back down to the party "I was a psychologist before being a Ghostbuster. Its second nature..."

* * *

When he rejoined the group, music was playing and the kids were back to the party in progress, now safe with all the glass and debris removed. Janine approached Peter and pulled him aside, she looked worried.

"Whats with the long face? I got the insurance sorted-"

"It's not that, Dr Venkman-" Janine sighed and towed Peter over to a window further on in the room. There, she nodded outside to where Peter could see a pair of feet hanging below the canopy of a big oak tree. The feet kicked back and forth in a morose way Peter recognised as belonging to that of a sulking teenager.

"Cait is…she's blaming herself for causing this mess. I tried to talk to her, but she's pretty upset."

"Oh." Venkman blinked "well what d'ya want ME to do? I don't know how teenage girls function!"

Janine gave him a look and something in Peter suggested he TRY. He sighed theatrically, blaming Ray for being too adorable and thus influencing him.

"This is your fault Raymond, you overly-adorable goof." he muttered as he made his way through the crowds of kids and out into the garden, telling them he was taking PKE readings so it didn't draw attention.

Once out of sight of the main bulk of the party, Peter made his way to the tree. He shucked the pack and with surprising ease, clambered up the tree. Cait blinked, lifting her head from her hands in time to spy the amused grin of aunt Janine's friend as the man sat himself on a sturdy branch across from her.

"I hope this is an easy fix, I hate climbing trees." He grumbled. Cait laughed sadly, staring at her lap.

"I know what you're here for, but it's STILL my fault. I gave aunt Janine the thing that attacked you guys and ruined Erica's party."

"She seems pretty laid back about it. I got the feeling she's a fan of ours..." Peter chuckled.

Another small smile from Cait.

"Hey, look," Peter sighed "I get why you're mad at yourself. Trust me, I've done some dumb stuff in my life. Even recently, I did a dumb thing and wouldn't let anyone help, even though I knew it'd end the problem once and for all..."

Cait watched him out of the corner of her eye, he seemed genuine, the way he frowned was the same look she probably wore.

"You weren't to know, kid. Even we aren't psychic. We've brought things home that've gone all levels of crazy. You probably seen that film about that doll, Annabelle?"

"Yeah, it was freaky."

"We've seen similar stuff, even had it invade our firehouse, so don't be depressed kid. Even professionals screw up sometimes. Wanna hear a good one? I once stuck an egg whisk in an ectoplasm experiment of Egon's and the thing just straight-up EXPLODED."

Cait began to laugh, the mental image was hilarious.

"He's giving me the ultimate glare of fury and all I could think of to say was; "Oops." See, I'm a fropessional!"

More laughter from the teenager and Peter grinned. For whatever reason, his type of humour seemed to go down well with the younger generation. Probably because of the innuendoes, he mused.

"Aunt Janine's not mad?"

"Nah, she's more worried that you're upset. You didn't know it was gonna go crazy, so forget about it. The things are gone and nobody got hurt, it's win-win!"

"Yeah, you're right.." Cait wiped her eyes, laughing softly. "I should go check on aunt Janine."

"Hey, you up there Cait?" A voice called and both looked down, seeing Erica waving up at them. Cait jumped down with ease, while Peter did his best to navigate his way down. It was easier climbing UP, he noted…

"I'm sorry Erica, I didn't-"

"It's fine, this is by far the most exciting birthday party EVER!" her friend hugged her and grinned. Cait hugged her back, glad her bestie wasn't upset-

"Ack!" Thud.

Cait blinked "seriously, do you just not get on with gravity, doctor Venkman?"

"Oh I can SO see your relation to Janine." Peter mumbled into the grass as he picked himself off, dusting grass off his uniform. "bleh, that was gross."

"Come back inside you two, we've got cake!" Erica offered, which caught Venkman's attention. He liked cake.

* * *

It was good cake, and he thought of a certain lover of his who loved sweets and he asked if he could bring some home for the others? Given the sheer size of said cake, Erica happily packed a whole box full!

Peter was quiet on the drive home, and when Janine shot him a glance, she realised he'd actually fallen asleep. She figured he was still pretty tired after those weeks of dealing with what'd happened to him.

When they pulled up outside the firehouse, she killed the engine and hesitated a moment, before hesitantly tapping Venkman's arm. He bolted awake, automatically scooting back, but the confines of the car meant he soon ground to a halt. It took a moment for his vision to readjust, then he relaxed a fraction when he realised who it was.

Before Janine could say anything, he unbuckled the belt and was out of the car, jogging for the entrance with his proton pack held awkwardly in his arms.

* * *

When Janine shut the door behind her, she seen Peter fumbling with the hastily applied bandages on his hand. She sighed, grabbing the first aid kit and his sleeve as she passed. She nudged him to sit on the desk, setting the kit beside him.

"Hold still," she said bluntly "it's been awhile but I know my first aid."

Venkman didn't say anything, he seemed to be spacing out as he barely flinched when she re-wrapped the bandages on his hand. After several seconds of watching him out of the corner of her eye as she put the kit away, she spoke.

"Cait is very important to me, and the thought those spirits nearly hurting her gave me the fright of my life."

"I thought you'd be used to weird by now," Peter said idly "you work HERE."

She gave him a stern look "be quiet while I'm thanking you, this likely wont be a frequent occurrence."

Sufficiently surprised and amused by this, Peter fell silent, only raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know what happened back then, but whatever you did saved us both from becoming that proverbial piece of Swiss cheese people always bring up. Whatever you said to her, she was feeling better by the time we left-"

Peter was surprised when she actually HUGGED him the next second.

"Whatever you might think, you saved my niece and that deserves a thank you. If it wasn't for Cait, I don't think my sister and I would ever have gotten back in touch."

She let him, seeing him blink in surprise "so hey, if you wanna get your ass back to work, I have the paperwork ready. Pecks annoying visits aren't as tolerable when you're not making him blow a gasket."

"It IS my aim to see if I can make his face go as red as his hair." Peter said with a faint smile.

"Good plan- heyy, does that mean I'm target practise?" Janine said, glowering at him now with her hands on her hips.

Peter snickered, biting back a laugh as she continued to stare at him.

"Venkmaaan,"

"Now Janine, if Ray finds out you tried to clobber me-"

"Don't you go dragging that boy into it!" She huffed, but there was a faint smile there, one eyebrow arched. "he's a soft-touch around you-"

"Yeah, I know." Peter said and something in his voice made her relent by way of rolling her eyes and groaning before sitting back behind her desk.

Spying the cake box still off the side of the desk, Peter tapped the lid, like a query. Cake?

* * *

They'd just finished comfortably stuffing their faces and Peter was feeling sleepy enough to consider a nap when the main doors opened and Ecto-1 drove in. Peter felt his heart ache at seeing the familiar car again, he really missed it- He started to push away from the desk-

The car doors spilled open and a laughing, chattering mess spilled out. Winston was trying to get Egon's boyfriend in a headlock, joking about something Peter couldn't make out. Even Ray looked pretty amused, that cute smile lighting up his face. Peter faltered, feeling a strange sense of displacement again as he watched the scene.

"Peter!" Ray chirped, happily bounding over to his partner and breaking him from his daze "you OK?"

"W-what? Yes.." Peter stammered, but Ray was too busy babbling away, those soft hazel eyes full of energy as he talked.

"We seen the weirdest ghost today...its head kinda looked like a butt..."

Peter couldn't help lift an eyebrow at THAT description. "Butt ghosts? Whats next, a phantom pe-"

"Thank you, Pete. Anyway, wise guy here decides to communicate with it by MOONING it." Winston jabbed a thumb at Eugene who shrugged sheepishly while Egon facepalmed.

Peter snorted, that must've been fun for poor, uptight Egon.

"That sounds like something you'd do, doctor Venkman." Janine put in.

"He DID, last year, remember?" Egon sighed "it was in a helicopter."

"Looks like you've got competition in the things-involving-an-ass competition." Winston joked to Peter, but got distracted by Egon facepalming AGAIN.

"Winston! Don't encourage them!" the scientist groaned loudly.

"Aw." Eugene sulked briefly, then grinned over at Venkman "and here I thought we could have a moon-off, doctor V!"

Peter felt his mind blank, that sense of being out of sync causing his thought process to stutter.

"Don't start one of those with ME, I've been told I have no shame." He managed to say at last, adding a shrug.

"You don't." Winston, Egon and Janine put in, making Ray giggle.

Eugene nudged Winston "best hope thats the rear-end of it, huh?"

Winston groaned "seriously, dude?"

"Sorry, that was really scraping the BOTTOM of the barrel, wasn't it?" Eugene could see when he'd found a good one..

Another face-meeting-palm sound met his ears and Winston looked at Egon "I think you'd best stop there, before Egon gives himself a concussion."

Ray couldn't help a laugh at Egon's expression, was he actually blushing?! He met Spengler's eye, offering a "hey, I know how you feel." look, which made Egon look a little less exacerbated at least.

Feeling that strange off-sync itch crawl up his spine again, Peter slipped away then and was halfway up the first set of stairs when Ray noticed his absence.

"Peter?" he called anxiously after his lover.

"You OK, Pete?" Winston asked, it was unlike Peter to bail on a conversation if he could work in some innuendoes.

Peter blinked at them, seeming delayed in his reactions.

"I'm not feeling too well, I'm going to go lie down."

"O-oh, okay." Ray looked a little downcast, but smiled anyway "Well, at least use the spare bed in my office, its a lot comfier then the one in the attic."

Peter nodded, managing a weak smile before hurrying away. Janine watched him go, why was he unhappy? Even Ray hadn't been able to raise a smile from him and he hadn't even mentioned his little act of lifesaving earlier either.

* * *

"Is everything OK, Janine?" Ray asked softly, all of them turning to look at Janine now "did something happen with Peter?"

Janine beckoned them closer and in a soft voice, she explained the whole scenario. When she reached the bit about Peter blindsiding the attacking force with that strange magic, she seen the others wince, bar Eugene, who just looked worried.

"So you've seen what he can do?" Egon asked at last and she nodded.

"I've never seen anything like it! It saved our asses, but when I asked him what that was, it seemed to cause him pain to explain it. I don't think he realises that if it wasn't for him, my niece and her friends could've been seriously hurt. You see..." she went on to explain the rest of the days events.

"Siamese ghosts?" Egon raised an eyebrow "how unusual."

"That explains the cake." Winston said, quickly moving the box out of Egon's reach as the guy eyed it hopefully. Egon glowered at him momentarily but turned his attention back to Janine. Seeing how confused she looked, he decided to do his best to make her feel a little better;

"We're not sure yet but, we think it's a side-effect of that ritual. Those cultists were messing around with some serious magic and it's latched onto Peter since the ceremony was disrupted. It seems its uncoordinated and Peter certainly doesn't know how to wrangle it. That's why we've been having these power fluctuations."

"Yeah, I kinda figured as such when the radio was fried after he took that thing down."

"It's hard on him," Winston said softly "the whole thing was set up to catch him specifically and its got him doubting everything about who he is because he didn't see it. We're trying to find a solution, but we're a little out of our depths."

"Sadly, yes." Egon frowned "All I can do for now is wait for the results of my tests to finish."

"Wow, that's harsh. No wonder he's out of sorts today." Janine shook her head. "he could barely stay awake on the way back here, I had to poke him awake in the end."

"I wonder if that's why he seems to be so unhappy?" Ray murmrued.

"I don't know," Janine patted his hand "piecing your life back together can't be easy."

"There's one other thing I think is making him unhappy." Eugene piped up, making everyone look at him.

"How do you mean?" janien asked, then clocked it when Eugene indicated the spare uniform he wore.

"That's right…he was spacing out when you guys left. I thought he was just tired, but now you mention that…"

"Oh, I got it." Winston said, shaking his head "that doofus. He thinks we've moved on without him."

"He clearly misses his job," Ray said softly "I haven't brought the issue up, but I was hoping he'd come back when he felt ready."

"Ah," Egon snapped his fingers "our arrival home must've come at a bad time, he seemed unsure every time he opened his mouth."

"Yeah, normally he NEVER thinks before he speaks." Janine said and Ray smiled, thinking of other things Peter did on impulse.

"I'll talk to him." Ray said, giving Eugene a 'don't worry about it' smile "he's just struggling to focus, what with the lack of sleep and everything else."

"In comparison to the last two weeks, today has undoubtedly been overwhelming." Egon added and they fell silent a moment, all thinking about how they'd cope if they were in Peter's place…

* * *

But even by dinner an hour later, Peter had shown no sign of reappearing. Concerned, Ray piled a plate high with pizza slices, snagged some of the cake and ventured off to find Venkman. He stopped outside his office, then knocked, just in case Peter wanted to be left alone…

* * *

At the knock on the door, Peter looked up from the book he'd been failing to read and told them to come in.

"Hey.." Ray said as he entered the room, nudging the door shut behind him with his hip. He crossed the distance to the bed, setting the tray on the bedside table and settling himself next to Venkman.

He turned to face Peter, opening his mouth to speak only for Peter to kiss him deeply, entwining himself in Rays arms with a faint sigh. Ray uttered a low moan, his hands gently caressing Peter's sides and brushing against bare skin as his lover's shirt shifted up.

"Are you all right?" Ray asked when they parted, studying those deep brown eyes as he stroked Peter's hair away from his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Peter muttered, but he could see from Ray's expression that he wasn't fooled.

"Peter...please..." Stantz said gently, and guilt twisted inside Peter.

"Today was...I had hoped nobody else would find out about that." he blurted out at last. He knew Janine must have told the others, Ray would've asked her if he was all right and she had genuinely seemed grateful for his help earlier.

"You mean Janine?"

"Mmm."

Ray sighed, stroking Peter's side gently, tilting his head to nuzzle the man's hair.

"She's been as worried as the rest of us, after what happened to you. I know you two seem to do nothing but bicker, but she does care. She was telling us about the siamese ghosts and you helping her niece."

Peter recalled the impromptu hug and nodded. "She was just a kid, the whole thing scared the crap out of her."

"And she's feeling much better from what Janine told us! So, don't worry. When you were hidden away, she talked to me to keep my mind off worrying. Told me to make sure you were happy, if you ever 'moved your butt'. Her words, not mine…"

Peter felt a faint pang in his chest as he chuckled. Janine had done that? She did seem to have a soft spot for Ray, but then; who didn't? The man was pure, concentrated innocence and protecting him was instinctive.

So he nodded now, figuring he could add Janine to the list of people he knew could be trusted with his twisted secret. That included Egon's bed-partner, technically, as he had seemed entirely unfazed by the whole Spate's incident.

Ray could see there was still some residual hesitation in Peter's demeanour, so he moved quickly, being careful not to knock the tray. He was soon straddling Peter's lap, with his hands on the man's shoulders and forehead pressed to the other's.

"Ray?" Peter's voice hitched just a bit and he flushed faintly. Ray being bold never failed to make his pulse race, among other things.

"I know it looked bad when we piled out of the car, Eugene even pointed out it looked like we were replacing you, but that's just not true. We haven't stopped hoping you'll rejoin us." Ray babbled "I didn't want to rush you, you should take your recovery slowly-"

"Ray-" Peter began, but was kissed hotly, shutting him up.

"Let me finish, okay?" Ray asked anxiously.

Peter nodded mutely, realising this was a big deal for Raymond.

"Egon asked Eugene to help us out because Peck was getting on our asses about our low workload and we didn't want him honing in on YOU, you were in enough pain at the time. Today really was weird, butt-monsters and all. I wish you could've been there, I just know you would've found a way to shoot it in the butt- head...butt?"

Peter chuckled as Ray shook his head to break the feedback loop and carried on earnestly. He was sitting so close that Peter had to fight not to cup that nice firm rear and give it a squeeze-

"When Eugene did the mooning thing, I asked if he'd gotten the idea from you, after the helicopter incident-" another little snicker from Peter "he said he hadn't but hey, maybe it'd impress you?"

"He reminds me of my college days, I can't deny."

Ray gave Peter a small smile at those words, but he had one last bit of his speech to impart.

"You must've thought we'd forgotten you, but that's not true Peter. We NEED you and you'll never be on your own. This is your home, we're your friends and you're not going through this alone...ok?"

He looked close to tears from worrying as he finished his speech, as Peter was once again touched by just how genuinely NEEDED Raymond made him feel. How much he thought about how he felt…

"Ray." Peter finally managed to speak, wiping the tears away with his sleeve "don't cry you silly thing."

"I can't help it," Ray said "all I want is to see you get yourself back-"

"C'mere, you." In a replica of that first night in the attic, Peter drew him in for a kiss, only this time he didn't hold back. He kissed Ray until the other was close to dizzy, stroking strands of hair away from his face as he let him go.

"I won't lie, I was...angry. I thought I was losing something I'd taken for granted since we founded this company." He sighed "I've been gone for what feels like an eternity and in that brief moment, I felt like I was completely out of the loop and I started wondering if it was too late. Today was...I WANT to start work again-urk!"

He was cut off as Ray hugged him so tightly that it nearly cut his air off.

Ray looked so happy (and teary) when he let Peter go, that a further minute was spent drying his eyes and kissing him. Finally, Peter continued;

"I miss the insanity, the constant opportunities to wind up Egon and TV presenters. I want my life back, Ray...I can't stand the thought of losing it."

"I know Peter," Ray nuzzled him lovingly "and you will get back to how you were before. Just take it easy and don't stress yourself. You'll be back with us soon, we all know its just a matter of time. Even Eugene said he knows things aren't the same without you, I think that's why he's been trying to mimic your goofing about. He worries Egon may face-palm himself to death if he keeps it up, however."

Peter burst out laughing at that, it WAS a funny mental image.

"Guess I'd better get back into shape before he does himself an injury. Although I'm half tempted to see if Spengler'll knock himself unconscious if Eugene tries hard enough..." he giggled, suddenly feeling much more hopeful.

Ray looked almost dizzy from relief as Peter glanced at him now.

"It's OK to hope, Peter." He whispered, kissing him on the forehead as the older man frowned in concern "I promise."

"I know." Peter whispered back "it's just easier said than done. Like slamming a revolving door. So much feels like it crumbled after that night-"

Ray stopped him with a deep kiss, murmuring that he understood, it'd be OK…

Peter finally caved then and gave Ray's bottom the attention he felt it deserved. Ray groaned, his voice taking on a lustful tone as Peter's gentle hands moved under his shirt and up his back-

Peters stomach gurgled LOUDLY and he groaned "really, stomach? I just want to see if I can tempt this cutie into taking his clothes off and you barge in NOW?!"

Ray collapsed against him then, giggling loudly at the sight of Peter lecturing his gut.

"What am I gonna do with you?" Peter said to Ray, shaking his head as this only prompted more giggles from his lover.

Once Ray had sufficiently calmed down, Peter suggested they eat the pizza before it got cold.

Ray slid off his lap, a little reluctantly if he was to truly admit it. But it was important that Peter ate, he'd had a long day after all…

He was amazed by how much had occurred in the space of 24 hours. From finding Peter in the kitchen in the small hours of the morning, to making love to him and falling asleep together…It was the miracle he hoped for. He surprised Peter by planting a quick kiss on his cheek before starting on his first slice of pizza.

Peter smiled, sensing the origin of that kiss was something adorable.

* * *

It didn't take long at all between the both of them, to demolish the pizza and the cake being swiftly consumed after it.

"Mmmh, thats some good cake." Ray sighed happily as he flopped back against the pillows. Peter seen a trace of icing on his lips and pinned Ray lightly to the bed, sending the thankfully empty tray and plates clattering to the carpet. He kissed Stantz, the icing only making the kiss even sweeter and he heard Ray moan softly, pressing against him. They parted, flushed and a little breathless.

Peter brushed his fingers over the zipper on Ray's jeans, toying with it as he met Ray's eyes.

"May I?" He purred. Ray blushed happily, tangling his fingers in his lover's as he aided him in undoing said zipper as he brushed a kiss over Peter's lips. The warmth of Peter's hand on him- he uttered a low, urgent moan, hearing Peter murmur his name softly as he nudged Ray's trousers down off his hips.

But when Peter put weight on his injured hand as he went to nuzzle Ray's neck, the sudden jolt of pain was enough to actually make him stop and draw back.

"P-peter?" Ray murmured, the fog of desire clearing as he heard the pained noise Peter made. He sat up, looking worriedly at his lover "what's- your hand! When did that happen?"

Peter grimaced at the bandages, but there was no visible blood seeping through, so he seemed to have gotten off lightly.

"When the ghost attacked Janine and I in the lobby." He explained "it copped on I was a danger to it and went for me. I forgot about it, what with the chaos."

Ray frowned, not wanting Peter to strain himself, but oh- how he wanted what they'd started to continue. Then he had an idea and kissed Peter gently, motioning him to sit back on the bed, propped up against the headboard while he rummaged in the bedside drawer. Peter was a little puzzled at first, but did as his dear Raymond requested. When Ray slid comfortably onto HIS lap, arms wrapped around his shoulders, he got the hint straight away.

"Mmm, clever Raymond." He purred, nibbling at his earlobe and groaning as Ray pressed even more firmly onto his lap.

"Well," Ray flushed as Peter's kisses moved down to his throat "this w-way you wont be putting too much strain on yourself."

Peter responded by kissing him HARD and running his tongue along his lover's lips as he did. When they parted, Peter slipped Ray's shirt off over his head, tossing it aside as he traced his fingers up Ray's chest- just as he'd done last night as he'd laid in Stantz's arms after the shy young man had taken HIM. Ray must've been thinking the same thing, as he blushed bright red, but Peter could see the excitement and happiness in his eyes.

"You are amazing, my sweet Raymond." Peter whispered as he nibbled on Ray's lower lip. Ray uttered a deep moan, pressing against his hands as Peter traced his body with them.

They didn't part from one anther unless they had to for the next few minutes, be it to unbuckle a belt or remove some item of clothing; until finally skin to skin contact was achieved. With Ray positioned so ideally on his lap, all he needed was-

He smiled knowingly as Ray uncurled his hand and presented him with a familiar tube of liquid. Kissing him in reward, Peter swiftly moved to readying his lovers body. Hooking his injured arm around Ray's waist, the other hand slipping down...Ray had SUCH a cute voice, didn't he? The way he said Peter's name, the myriad of inflections in that one word as Peter explored his body, anticipation making it so very delicious.

"Ray…sweet Ray…" Peter murmured as he ceased readying him, hands moving to Ray's hips. Ray's chest rose and fell rapidly, eyes full of a cute-as-heck want and need...

As he felt Peter's gentle hand guide him into position, echoes of the preparation still running through him, Ray seen the MW necklace and his thoughts from the restaurant came back.

It WAS all he was wearing….

Peter raised an eyebrow and Ray promised he'd tell him later, then he began-

Peter made sure to keep his bandaged hand from bearing any weight or task, letting it come to rest at the base of Ray's spine, pressing into his back as Stantz moved. As with last night, Ray's confident side only made Peter love him even more. Compared to how shy he'd been at first, this was pretty damn sexy…

He was aware of Ray's fingers gripping his shoulders firmly as they drew closer to their finale, the heat of his body ever more teasing as the peak approached. One last, hot thrust and then pleasure overrode everything. Ray pressed into his arms, whispering Peter's name over and over...

Ray took a deep breath as he drew back from Peter, his eyes meeting Venkman's and seeing the pleasure he felt reflected in them.

"You are amazing." Peter whispered, tracing Rays bottom with his fingertips as he gently helped his lover ease himself up off him. He pulled Ray into his arms and they fell back onto the rumpled covers, tangled in one another again.

"So…what had you all moony-eyed?" Peter asked once they'd gotten their breath back and Ray giggled into his shoulder.

"You don't waste time, do you?" He bit his lip, eyes shining with amusement as Peter pretended to look offended but soon cracked a smile.

"Sooo…?" Venkman hinted, one eyebrow raised. Ray brushed stands of hair from his eyes as he spoke.

"I was thinking about last night, and that necklace…" he toyed with it now, brushing his finger over the detailed metal "it was all you were wearing and it was so gorgeous."

Peter kissed him hotly, making his appreciation of the thought VERY clear.

"I don't know if you realise it, Raymond Stantz," Peter purred, "but you're seriously HOT when you're assertive."

Ray squeaked, but the way he smiled made Peter love him even more, the younger man had a fire deep inside and he aimed to fuel it. They fell asleep atop the covers, wrapped in one anothers embrace.

* * *

Ray woke him only when it was time to get into bed or else risk catching cold by sleeping naked, even if Peter did point out he'd keep Ray as warm as he wanted.

Cue more blushing.

* * *

Peter had thought he was free from the nightmares, or given his luck the previous night, that he'd at least sleep through to morning.

Sadly, he wasn't so lucky that night.

He bolted awake with a sharp and desperate cry, head swimming as he fought to draw breath.

"Peter..?!" Ray was awake in an instant, rubbing his lover's back and making soothing noises.

"S-sorry, I thought I was over this.." Peter shook his head "I don't understand, its always the same thing. Why wont it go away…?" he looked desperately at Ray in the barely lit room, seeing that same gentle expression he'd come to love.

"If it's repeating, it may be more clues from your mother or maybe just fragments of the ritual. We'll talk to Egon in the morning, see if his scans turned up anything. Ill check my books if you describe what you see. OK? For now, rest, I'm here."

"Sure." Peter smiled, feeling drowsy again, so Ray drew him into his embrace and Peter fell asleep in seconds. Ray listened to his breathing, relaxing when he detected Venkman was sleeping soundly. Poor Peter, had he been seeing these nightmares all this time?


	9. Test or Theory

**Sorry this took so long, i had to redo a large part and eventually split it into two parts due to the word count being insanely high. Enjoy!**

 **Part two will be along soon.**

* * *

To Ray's relief, Peter didn't stir for the rest of that night, at least not the bits he himself was still conscious for. He awoke early the next morning to feeling his ear being nibbled, making what Peter described as "the single most endearing noise ever." His eyes fluttered open and he smiled as he seen his lover looking at him with his usual seductive but affectionate smile. Once he'd finished returning the very passionate kiss that followed this vocal identification, Ray smiled at Peter, asking if he'd slept well?

"Yeah, no more bad dreams." Venkman said softly, but Ray could see the worry in his eyes, could feel the tension in the other man's body "Listen, this is gonna sound crazy, Ray…but I think those nightmares mean more than just some kind of PTSD flashback."

"It's not crazy, don't say that..." Ray soothed, eyes full of a determination that made Peter's heart race pleasantly. He sat himself up, gently pulling Ray to a sitting position as well.

"There's an explanation for all of this and we're gonna find out what." Stantz promised him, kissing him lightly before reaching for a book on the bedside table. He tucked his legs under him as he ran his fingers over the worn cover of the tome.

"This is a good place to start. It's, well.." He coughed, suddenly shy as he realised just how tied into his current life the tome was.

"It's what?" Peter's curiosity was piqued, he was like a sniffer dog once he got a scent; he'd follow it to its source with the determination befitting a canine.

"Nothing, honest-" Ray squeaked, but Venkman was staring at him now, the laser-beam focus of his stare impossible to avoid in such close quarters. Ray gulped and blushed as Peter moved one hand to lightly caress his thigh, the blanket doing little to stop him feeling the heat of his lover's touch.

"Tell me." Peter sulked, pulling that pouty face that Ray was a total sucker for. Janine's comments about Peter's more feline tendencies elbowed at his mind, didn't cats pull cute faces to get their owners to tend to them? Thus he lasted all of three seconds under that gaze before he gave in;

"It's the book I used to y'know…hide a certain part of who I was?" He felt a surge of awkward embarrassment as he recalled his recent actions "it's about memory and harnessing it-"

"Aha! So this is it-" Peter lunged for it, with Ray automatically holding it above his head and out of reach. Peter's trajectory meant he bowled into Ray and they both fell out of bed and onto the floor in a tangle of limbs and blankets.

"Oof, so much for that plan." Peter wheezed as they lay there.

"What sort of plan was that?" Ray hiccuped, blinking at him in surprise.

"I wanted to kick that books ass." Peter said childishly, from where he was draped atop Ray's chest, resting his chin on his collarbone. His voice rumbled through Ray, making a delightfully ticklish sensation run through his chest.

Ray began to giggle and it only worsened when Peter gave him a sulky look, so he wasn't really surprised when Peter moved to swiftly yet lightly pin his wrists above his head.

"Peter, what're you do—ehheee…haha, don't you dare-!"

He lost control of the English language after that, as Peter nibbled on his ear, it was Ray's biggest weak spot and Venkman knew it well.

Peter grinned as he heard Ray utter a delirious little moan, easily shifting how he was balanced so he was kneeling over Ray, pinning his lovers hips with his knees while he moved onto kissing behind said ear. When he began nibbling on his collarbone, Ray finally caved.

"Ok…ok, just let me look up what I need and you can have it!"

Peter ceased his snuggle attack and ginned, disheveled hair giving him a rakish and seductive look. Ray combined that with the way the man was holding him "captive" with Ray's weak spot as his advantage….

He squeaked, light-headed from all the things rushing through his head. He never had such vivid daydreams before. He definitely liked them though...

"Whatever you're thinking, I want in." Peter snapped him back to reality with those words, raising an eyebrow as Ray blushed profusely. He tilted his head and his eyes gleamed knowingly "Or am I already in-?"

Ray lifted his body up enough so he could snare Peter's lips and stem the flow of innuendo before things got critical. Peter WAS on top of him after all...

"Mmm, I've said it once but I'll say it again;" Peter declared breathlessly as he looked down at Raymond "You are HOT when you let out your wild side."

He seen Ray bite his lip, but caught a glimpse of something in his eyes. Delight, excitement...

—That's it, my dear Raymond.— Peter thought —you don't need to shy away from the real you.—

He kissed Ray once more, then suggested they get back to the task at hand. Ray beamed happily up at him and Peter kissed him on the nose before helping his beloved to his feet. Ray retrieved the book from where it'd been knocked flying by the pounce attack and sat on the edge of the bed as he flicked through the pages.

Warmth pressed against his back and he blinked, feeling Peter resting his chin on his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye he seen Venkman's intensive stare was fixed on the pages as they flicked past.

"Peter..?" He tried not to giggle. "Are you looking for the specific pages now?!"

A faint grumbling sound from Peter confirmed this and Ray began to laugh softly, before realising how close to his ears Peter was…

"I'll show you after, I promise." He said quickly, feeling the satisfied noise Venkman made from where he was pressed against him. He was allowed to scan the book after that, Venkman falling remarkably silent as he waited. Casting a brief glance as he worked, Ray seen Peter had closed his eyes and appeared to just be relaxing. Lots of small details etched themselves into Rays mind; the way Peter's eyelashes brushed his cheeks, the rhythm of his breathing, the warmth that radiated from his body and many other little details-

—Fall any harder and you'll break something.— his inner self teased and Ray quickly returned to the book in his hands. His aunt Lois would say he was "punch drunk" on love, but Ray didn't deny it. He'd never felt so strongly about anyone before, and the affection he received was the sweetest gift he'd ever been given.

Once he'd located the part he needed, Ray kissed Peter's cheek to get his attention and began asking for details about the troublesome nightmares. Peter hesitantly described them for Ray; the red fire, the strange disembodied voice telling him he was going to fulfil his purpose- all of it. The nightmares were always the same, he explained, with those red flames and that voice...

"Sorry there's not much detail, there's never a face with the voice." he said at last with a sigh, flopping back on the bed as Ray remained perched on its edge, blankets across his lap and book in his hands as he hurriedly wrote everything down. From this angle, Peter realised he got a rather nice view of Ray's butt.

"Could it be symbolic of something?" Ray asked, but on receiving only silence, he frowned "Peter, are you listening to me? I need you to work with me here…"

"Mm-hm. I am. I'm supervising the rear." Peter sighed contentedly and Ray felt his face burning as the penny dropped. Right, he was wearing precisely nothing and Peter was lying _BEHIND_ him. He closed the notepad, shifting so he was facing Peter and hiding his rear end from view. Peter pouted then grinned wickedly as Ray gave him a mock-stern look.

"You need to pay attention and no, not to my arse. Stop getting distracted."

"Just by your arse? Or distractions in general?" Peter asked with a shameless grin. Ray groaned and Peter sat himself up swiftly, sneaking a quick kiss and nuzzling affectionately behind Ray's ear, delighting in the way Ray shivered and moaned softly. He sighed happily as Ray kissed him, these moments where he didn't have to acknowledge the weight of his fate were more precious then he'd ever admit.

Ray sat himself next to Peter once the kiss was over, pointing to a page in the book.

"From what I can ascertain, these dreams aren't normal. They're more like a form of precognition, something in all this is trying to warn you or possibly lure you."

"Wait, Precog-? Are you saying I'm psychic? Lemme read your mind-" Peter pressed his forehead to Ray's, pretending to be deep in concentration "let's see, I'm getting something firm and-"

"Peter!" Ray squawked, "be serious for a moment!"

Peter grumbled but relinquished Ray, settling back against the pillows once more. Ray leaned in so Peter could see the book, a cute smile on his face and his dark hair tousled wildly.

"As I was saying, I think it may be fragments you picked up from the ritual, your minds trying to make sense of them but its reached its limit. What it's able to understand, it's presenting to you in your dreams."

"That or I'm partly psychic." Peter said with a frown. "Wait, you said 'lure' a minute ago. What do you mean?"

"It's just a theory, but it's possible the spell wants to be completed and is trying to persuade you to do so. But you're not trying to sleepwalk or raid Egon's lab for ways to accomplish anything like that, so it's unlikely."

Peter nodded silently, relieved to hear that much at least.

"This is all guesswork" Ray said. "We still don't fully know what changes have occurred. Hopefully, Egon's tests will shed some light on that.."

Peter nodded again, his facade fluctuating briefly and showing some of the deep-seated unease still hiding inside. Ray felt a pang of worry, knowing how hard it was for Peter to cope with so much in so short a time.

Venkman blinked out of his daze as Ray laid the book down beside him, wrapped him in his arms and kissed him softly.

"It's gonna be OK." Ray murmured "one way or another, i'll make sure of it."

"I know." Peter purred, then added "now gimme that book."

Ray blinked, stalling briefly as he tried to recall what Peter was on about.

"Oh, right…" he said sheepishly as recalled his promise as part of his surrender to the flying snuggle attack, holding the book up to Peter.

"Thank you, handsome." Peter said cheerily, then proceeded to flick the window blind up far enough so he could lean out the window. He paused a moment to line up the shot- then threw the book in an expert arc so it bounced off the wall, landing exactly in the trash can.

Ray blinked as Peter whooped "score!" Then shut the window, a smug grin on his face as the blind fluttered back into place.

"What did you..?" Ray asked, bemused.

"Got it in the garbage can on my first try." Peter said proudly "because you are never hiding how amazing you are, ever again."

"W-well that's good-wait, first TRY?" Ray looked flattered, then alarmed "what were you gonna do if it missed?"

"Go down and fetch it, duh."

"Butt naked?" Ray said, biting his lip and keeping a straight face by sheer force of will alone.

"No, of course not- well, now you've put that idea in my head…" Peter trailed off, glancing back at Ray as the younger man facepalmed and groaned.

"I'm just kidding, Raymond. For you, I'll wear pants if such a situation ever occurs again, okay?"

"Thank you, Peter…" Ray wheezed in relief, shaking his head at his lovers antics. Peter scooted back up to him now, wrapping his arms around the younger man's waist and kissing him. They spent a few more minutes indulging in one another before finally deciding breakfast sounded good.

"Oh, the doctor, do you still want to go?" Ray asked as they finished dressing and Peter opened the office door, the appointment they'd discussed the previous day popping into his head now he wasn't being distracted. He waited as Peter gnawed on his lower lip, then nodded.

"It's not until lunchtime, so if you change your mind, it's OK." Ray assured him and Peter smiled, slipping an arm around him and sneaking yet another kiss before ushering Ray out of the door ahead of him.

* * *

The others were already up when the two lovers wandered in.

"Hey, you two!" Eugene greeted them, with Egon looking up from the paper to give them a nod and Winston giving a lazy salute from where he was devouring his breakfast. They'd all guessed Ray hadn't even come close to leaving Venkman's side last night, as Ray seemed to know how to hold things together and nobody needed that right now more than their co-worker.

Winston could see traces of exhaustion and worry in Peter's eyes, but they seemed a little less obvious then previous instances.

"Sleep well?" he asked habitually, as Ray nudged the drowsy Venkman towards his chair.

"Yeah, mostly." Peter said softly as he sat down. Ray offered to make a fried breakfast that was gladly accepted by those who hadn't already eaten, or were just hungry again (Peter and Egon respectively.)

Peter spotted Eugene blatantly admiring Egon as the genius got up to go make himself some coffee. He caught the other mans eye and arched one eyebrow, the expression asking "Nice view?"

Eugene flushed and gave him a look that said "I wasn't doing anything, honest!"

This was followed by one from Peter that said "who're you fooling again?"

Eugenes rebuttal simply said "can you blame me?"

"OK, are you two trying to communicate or something? Looks like eyebrow semaphore to me.." Winston snickered as he watched Peter read the situation without saying a single word. Peter snorted and Eugene grinned at him.

"Great minds think alike," Peter shrugged, thinking about what Ray had said last night. This guy was alright, he decided…

"Yes, and fools seldom differ." Egon said as he sat back down in his seat, prompting both gentlemen to protest.

"Hey, I resemble that remark!" Eugene objected as Egon took a sip of his coffee, causing the genius to nearly drop his mug as the joke sunk in. He eyeballed Eugene, who grinned sheepishly and in the end Egon shook his head but smiled ever-so-slightly as he returned his attention to his coffee.

"All done!" Ray set the plates before the two that'd asked for them, then grabbed his own plate and sat himself between Peter and Winston.

—Its nice, I must confess— Egon mused as he idly regarded the scene around him whilst tucking into his second breakfast —to be able to enjoy Eugene's presence without worry, that is. It makes the mornings far more enjoyable and Venkman has also become less rambunctious since choosing Ray.—

Eugene studied Egon out of the corner of his eye, feeling a surge of happiness as he seen how happy Eeg seemed with their relationship out in the open. Across the table, Ray was chattering excitedly to Winston, while Peter focused on his breakfast, yet he would sneak the odd glance at Stantz.

As seemed to be a habit, Peter fell into contemplative thought and let the voices of the others mix into vocal soup around him. His mind was on the upcoming doctors appointment, could this guy really help him? He wasn't infallible, the Ivan incident was proof of that. Yet he'd made a point of relying only on himself since childhood, was it time things changed?

That creep was behind bars now and he didn't have to worry, Winston had said as such. So why did he still feel a sense of unease?

He tuned out completely once more, honing in on a familiar frequency without even realising it. His mind drifted into that state of fugue from Egon's tests. He was only faintly aware of himself as he got up from the table and gave a noncommittal grunt when Winston asked was he OK?

Winston shrugged and Ray tilted his head to one side as he watched Peter leave, but couldn't think of anything that could be wrong. Peter probably just needed to pee…

* * *

He'd just begun explaining his new idea to Egon now when there was a loud crash, a noise that seemed to be a combination of a curse word and a loud yelp and finally- after a moments startled silence from them all;

"Egon?!" It was Peter's voice, distant and a little sheepish "it happened again!"

Eugene and Egon exchanged looks and Ray was already out of his seat, going at the speed of a missile. The others raced after Stantz to Egon's lab, Winston following at the rear and asking "what happened again?"

Egon skidded into the room, looking everywhere to see what Peter was hollering about. His eyes settled on the scene of the crime, as it were; Spates was lying open on the desk, another page on display that hadn't been there before. Ray was already kneeling beside Peter, an arm around his back to support him as he helped him sit up. Peter looked a bit dazed, rubbing his head and blinking dizzily.

Spengler glanced at the book, correctly deducing it'd sprouted another page. On closer examination it appeared to be a partly filled magic/spell circle, but the centre part was blank and a few markings around the inner edge were missing.

"Oww." Peter groaned as he was finally able to sit up on his own. Ray sat back on his heels beside him, one hand resting on his arm.

"What just happened?" Winston asked, looking from the two lovers to Egon-.

"It's kinda weird, but that book is picking up on some hidden memories in doctor V's head." Eugene filled in when Egon didn't say a word and just stared intently into space.

"Pete's memories?" Winston glanced from Eugene to Peter "of what..?"

"Of stuff my mother seems to have left imprinted there." Peter said softly "she uh…she went to great lengths to keep my father from finding me it seems, including burying any memories of magic or such madness that I may have had. That and what appears to be a few failsafe messages."

"She really wanted to give you the best shot she had, huh?" Winston said at last as he crossed the room and offered a hand to help Peter up. Peter nodded, giving a grateful smile as he was helped back to his feet, Ray by his side as always.

"Yeah, she figured I'd have a normal life, so long as nothing woke those memories. Somehow I don't think she factored in paranormal shenanigans."

"No-one expects the paranormal shenanigans." Winston said sagely.

"I thought that was the Spanish Inquisition?" Eugene asked innocently, prompting the others to chuckle. Only Egon looked a little confused, so Eugene promised he'd bring the DVDs over so Egon could experience a comedy from many years ago…

Winston looked down at the book as Egon resumed studying the partially complete circle.

"Ok, I'll bite." He said at last "what is that thing?"

"It seems to be some kind of arcane marking, but what its precise purpose is however; I cannot tell. It doesn't match anything I have in memory. I'll run it through my database and see what I find."

Ray looked at it, then squeezed Peter's arm gently, murmuring "is it from your nightmares?"

Peter stared at it, but he could only shake his head. He'd never seen it before in his life…

"Nightmares?" Egon frowned as this alerted his curiosity "is that what-?"

He was silenced by Eugene (gently) clapping a hand over his mouth.

"Is that what- what?" Peter asked, then realisation dawned and he sighed softly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "it woke you guys up, didn't it?"

"No, I was already awake." Egon said as he politely made his partner lower his hand "I was just about to go get a drink when I heard it. Anyway, it wasn't that loud, I just heard a distant shout was all."

"And I woke up when Egon began trying to stealthily fidget his way out from the covers-" Eugene began but Egon shoved a hand over HIS mouth this time. The look he gave Eugene was priceless, his normally pale complexion flushed red. Peter snickered and Eugene shot Egon a look that said "sorry, eeg."

"Have these dreams been riding you for long?" Winston asked, drawing Venkman's attention away from Egon and Eugene. Peter shrugged and fell silent, though he shrugged and sighed loudly after a moments intense staring from the former marine. Forgotten about for now, Egon lowered his hand from Eugene's mouth, who took advantage of Venkman being distracted to kiss Spengler on the forehead, mollifying him somewhat.

Unaware of this carrying on, Peter finally shrugged by way of a precursor.

"Since the hospital, yeah. They bug me mostly every night, but I don't always wake up quite that violently. Mostly, I jolt awake and fall back into a deeper sleep pretty fast. I didn't expect it to be so much more vivid last night. Ray compared what few pieces I could recall to what was in his book..."

"I'll fetch the notes I made." Ray said on cue, darting out the door and heading for his office. His footsteps echoed down the hall, the sound of a door opening and clicking shut-

Peter smiled fondly as he watched him go, Ray was just adorable.

Egon smiled faintly, Eugene was like that sometimes. He seemed to have a veritable well of happiness to draw from, which was obvious in his kiss and the way he looked at Egon-

Speaking of the man himself, he was leaning back against the shelf behind Egon now, looking at the mass of equipment and experiments around him. He seemed so genuinely curious about Egon's work, it made the polymath's heart pound. He wondered if, just maybe, the others would approve of him joining-

Right that moment, Ray returned with a notebook clutched in his hands. He opened his mouth, stopped, then looked at Peter as if asking "you sure you don't mind?"

"It's fine, Ray." Peter said with a wry smile "lets face it, if anyone can make sense of it, smarty-pants here will."

Egon gave him a withering look at the nickname, but happily took the book Ray proffered. He scanned over Ray's meticulous handwriting, lips pursed and brow furrowed by the time he got to the end.

"What you got?" Winston asked as he seen the frown. Beside him, he heard Peter's breath hitch and seen him tense up visibly. Egon looked up, gaze landing on the visibly unsettled Peter.

"I'm not certain, but I think these words you describe hearing might be connected to the same type of 'magic' those guys used-" he cut off, closing the book and looking at his computers "I'll run it along with everything else, see if it gets any hits in the database. The more points of info we have, the more chances we can expect."

Peter nodded, then remembered mentioning the PI last time he'd had contact with that book. He mumbled something about being back in a minute and jogged up to the attic. Egon was too lost in thought to hear him, but Ray wondered what he was off searching for?

"Right, the scans are in progress and- hm, where's Venkman?" Egon frowned as he registered Peter's absence. Ray opened his mouth to give his best guess when the sound of approaching footsteps heralded the mans return, so he went silent, looking over at the door.

Peter walked in, his attention focused on a bundle of paperwork all tied into a worn leather folder.

"What ya got there, my man?" Winston asked, the folder was bulky, with pieces of paper poking out amidst the sheaf.

"This is- it's all the details I collected during the search for my mother. Including the detective I spoke to most recently."

"Been looking for a while, huh doc?" Eugene asked and Peter glanced at him, nodding silently as he set the papers on Egon's desk and opened the strap. Spengler's glance landed on the topmost photo, showing a somewhat recognisable photo of the woman believed to be Peter's mother.

"When did the investigator get this photo?" He asked out of curiosity as he picked it up. Peter blinked, thinking back..

"A day or two before our resident pink spook moved in?"

"The day Alessa showed up. So it's recent." Egon studied it, a million theories jostling for attention.

"I also got notification that she was sighted in the public library as well." Peter murmured, recalling how shocked he'd been "I couldn't believe it at first, I thought that photo was just a fluke. Why would she come looking for me now?"

"Maybe she caught wind of your father still being around?" Winston suggested "and she just wanted to check you were alright?"

"If she was concerned about his safety, why not reveal who she was? Why not come here and talk to him?" Ray piped up worriedly.

"Maybe she kept her distance to try avoid giving your father any clues as to your whereabouts. Its unlikely they didn't have her under surveillance also." Egon said logically.

"How would I know?" Peter said crossly, as he realised they were looking at HIM now, as if expecting an answer. Old tension rose back up to fill the gaps in his defences and he shook his head, before turning and striding out of the room "what does it matter anyway? She's not here."

The others watched him go, with Ray looking as worried as usual. Winston set a hand on his shoulder, seeing the concern in Stanz's eyes as he looked at him.

"It's gonna be Ok, man. Pete just needs a bit of time; guy aint used to letting anyone this far into his life."

"I can assume that comes from his concerns over his father being dangerous." Egon murmured, looking back at the Spates book. Peter's mother clearly played a far bigger part in all this then the man himself was aware, they needed to find the long missing woman.

"Yeah, I know." Ray sighed "I was lucky, I had a fairly boring upbringing, I can't think how hard it would be not to know my mom and dad."

"Yeah, I got my dad." Eugene agreed "and the way he talks about mom, I know as much as I can."

"How about you, Egon?" Winston asked curiously, "you got any family around?"

"Hm?" Egon blinked vacantly, then shrugged "I have an uncle still living in New York, Cyrus Spengler. I haven't seen much of him however, he has pretended I am non-existent since discovering I was ejected from the university."

"Seriously?" Eugene peered at his Eeg, seeing a look of irritation enter the handsome mans expression.

"Unfortunately so." Egon shrugged "he does not view it as the proper use of my capabilities and when I refused to quit and even went on to rejoin Ghostbusters when we got our licenses back, he said he would have no part in helping such nonsense procreate."

"Geez, that's mean." Ray said apologetically, but Egon just shrugged.

"It's of no consequence, I'd rather peruse the things I believe in than follow a path I despise." He seemed to stumble across an amusing thought and snorted dryly "if he found out I cant even 'play for the right team' as it were, he'd likely have a coronary."

"So we won't be meeting HIM then?" Eugene said jokingly, earning a wry smile from Spengler.

"Eh, we're pretty much fam, so-" Winston shrugged and grinned, Ray beaming brightly, he liked that idea.

Eugene mimed being so relieved he collapsed against Egon, who shook his head, but looked less wound up then moments before.

'Ok, I'd say he's had enough time to cool off. Go fetch, Ray." Zeddemore mimed checking his watch and looking at Stantz.

"Am I THAT predictable?!" Ray sputtered indignantly.

"You're half way out the door," Winston chuckled "you tell US."

Ray paused, went beet red, then just stuck his tongue out at them and vanished off down the hall.

"Peter's a bad influence." Egon sighed, but the other two just burst into laughter.

* * *

This time Peter was on the roof, sat with his back resting against a massive vent, Ray very nearly tripped over him, he was so well concealed. He sat down beside him, letting his head rest on Venkman's shoulder. They were nicely hidden here, so he figured some cuddling may help.

"Hey, you." Peter murmured, kissing him on the forehead as he nuzzled Rays hair, sighing softly.

Ray stayed quiet, merely lacing his fingers through Peter's and waiting.

"I don't really need to say anything, do I? You already know what's wrong." Peter asked quietly and Ray lifted his head to meet his eyes, nodding once. Peter smiled softly, pulling the man into his arms and kissing him deeply, losing himself in the sweetness of Stantz's lips.

"That's my Raymond." He purred as they parted, making Ray beam brightly.

"Are you-?"

"I'm fine, cutie. I just..." Peter sighed "I had a normal life I don't think I'll ever have back, I guess it's riling me up is all."

"I know," Ray murmured "but a problem shared is a problem halved, right?"

Peter thought for a moment, then scrunched his face in a confused expression "I guess- wait- doesn't it mean TWO people know about it? Wouldn't that be technically doubling it?"

He looked mildly annoyed when Ray bust into a giggling fit, but soon smiled and dismissed the matter with a kiss.

They sat there and exchanged more kisses, would've probably ventured into the territory of some wandering hands when they heard the door and they sprang apart. Their eyes met and Peter grinned while Ray giggled softly.

"Ray?" It was Winston, "you up here? Got a phone call."

"Here!" Ray bounded up, with Peter getting to his feet more slowly and stretching to make his back click into place. He seen Ray take the phone from Winston, bounding a few meters away as he pressed the phone to his ear. Dang phone, he'd been about to reacquaint himself with Ray's body-

Winston seen the way Peter watched Ray, and it was clearer than ever just how much he cared for the more sweet-natured ghostbuster.

"You scored the jackpot, my man." He chuckled, seeing Peter's gaze flick to him now. Venkman smiled, but there was a trace of sadness there that made Winston a little concerned.

"Damn right. Somehow, somewhere in time, I did SOMETHING right to get him." He sighed softly, adding "Honestly? I'm lucky he didn't dump my sorry ass, given how far I tried to distance myself since waking up in the hospital."

"Nah, he knew you needed time." Winston began, but Peter shook his head sharply.

"I'm not blind, Winston, I know he was moping a lot, Egon had the class to point it out nearly every time we argued. I snapped at him to mind his own business, but I knew he was right." He sighed, glancing back over at Ray, who had his back to him, for if he'd seen Peter's expression he'd have worried. "Sorry seems pathetic, somehow."

"I don't think even the marines could've prepared a man for something like what happened to you, man. Nobody's prepared to have something as fundamental as their identity jacked about. You probably felt pretty disconnected huh?"

"Yeah." Peter said bluntly, resting his chin on one hand atop the vent as he stared into the middle distance "It felt like you were all trying to talk to someone I WASNT. After everything that pervert revealed the night of the ritual, I didn't recognise who you were hoping to speak to, didn't think he even existed when essentially I'd just been told my whole life was a fabrication by my mother."

"Yes and no." Winston shrugged "I mean yeah, she gave you a chance to be raised by a new family in the hopes you'd have a better future then what your father had in store; but she just planted the seeds, you grew up on your own terms. Unless being a smart-arse runs in her side of the family?"

"Maybe?" Peter snorted, feeling oddly comforted by this "I wish I could remember."

"Hey, we'll find her. I know a man; used to be in my unit, he's a senior detective now. I'll call in a few favours, see if we can't circulate her photo secretly, just in case one of the smaller stations gets a hit."

Peter blinked, surprised by this offer, but he nodded and thanked Winston softly. He felt a little better, he had to stop secluding himself, but a lifelong habit was a hard thing to break...

"No worries, man." Winston patted his shoulder, then nudged him towards Ray, who had just gotten off the phone. Stantz bounded over, asking if everything was OK?

"Yup." Peter smiled softly and kissed him on the forehead, then swanned towards the door in one fluid movement, leaving a faintly blushing Ray behind with an amused Winston.

"Show off." Winston said, making Peter laugh "you know I'm gonna have to do some major showboating if I ever bring Tiyah here."

Ray giggled at the metal image, then his glance settled on his watch.

"The doctor!" He blurted, making Peter stick his head back out the access door to the roof, one elegant eyebrow raised "we're due there in half an hour!"

Peter nodded, calmly following Ray downstairs as Stantz shot past him. Winston followed at his own leisurely pace, relieved to see Peter slowly getting back into the swing of things. The talk they'd just had clearly showed he still harboured a bit of a guilt complex, but in time, Winston knew they'd be able to change that for the better. He grabbed his phone as he swung by the bedroom, dialling his old friends number whilst making a mental note to ask Egon to photocopy that snapshot of Peter's mother.

* * *

Egon faintly heard the two leave, but he was too busy scanning his database. He tapped the screen to make it print out the current batch, but was soon disturbed by the printer making a peculiar noise and coming to a halt. With a sigh, he walked over to it, checking the feed trays, the ink…finally, when those yielded no result, he leaned over the table to check the cables.

That was exactly when Eugene walked in. He stood in the doorway, cups of coffee in hand and staring openly at Eeg's rump. It dint help the way he moved, shifting left and right as he tried to wrangle a lost cable back into place.

Eugene hurriedly walked over to the table, setting the mugs down.

"Eugene?" Egon asked absently "that you?"

"Mm-hm." Eugene said, wanting SO badly to give that bottom a pat.

"Is something wrong? You're very quiet." Egon asked, shoving the the cable back in at last "ah-ha! Back where you belong…"

"I'm fine. Really. Totally fine ass- I mean, AS much as can be expected."

—Smooth..— he told himself, —like sandpaper.—

Egon straightened up now, giving him such a befuddled look that Eugene flushed guiltily. The genius stepped closer, grey eyes full of deep curiosity as he stared at his partner.

"Ok, I was admiring your butt!" Eugene blurted at last in response to this intense stare, making EGON go red this time.

"Why?" Egon asked as he fiddled with his sleeve self-consciously and Eugene just shook his head, chuckling as he pulled Egon into his arms.

"Because you have a very nice ass, Egon Spengler. It'd be an offence NOT to admire it."

He kissed Egon before the doctor could ask further questions, giving the aforementioned backside a quick squeeze. Egon made a faintly startled noise, but there was no denying that it set his heart pounding. Eugene's hands gripped his thighs as he scooped him up and sat him atop the table next to the printer, kissing him again. Egon gave in and pressed against Eugene's chest, kissing him in return and revelling in the surge of adrenaline and hormones that flooded his veins.

* * *

The door had been left slightly open when Eugene had walked in, which was how Janine stumbled across them. She spied the two and was about to knock on the door to ask if they wanted anything from the Deli, when she realised they were uh "occupied".

Eugenes hands were holding Egon's waist tightly, keeping the doctor in his hold as they kissed. Spengler was gripping Eugene's shirt sleeves tightly, one foot brushing the inside of The man's calf.

As she watched, Eugene let Egon go, brushing his thumb over the doctors lower lip and saying something that made Egon smile. He looked so different and there was a look in his eyes now, one of excitement and obvious happiness. Egon was usually so secretive and stoic, she was surprised.

—It's good to see you happy, Egon.— she thought, sneaking quietly away to leave the two in peace. She'd already had an inkling the two were involved, they spent so much time together, usually in Egon's lab. But this was the first time she'd actually seen them share an intimate moment and while she was unashamedly envious of Eugene, she could see how clearly he adored Egon.

* * *

The whole drive over, Ray could see Peter fidget more and more, drumming his fingers on his thighs and so on.

Sensing Ray's concern, Peter did his best to stop fidgeting and smiled at his lover.

"Don't worry, cutie. I'm not running this time."

"You can do it Peter, I know you can." Ray said softly, making Peter smile warmly.

* * *

He stayed true to his promise, he didn't bolt or try to play it off as no longer necessary as they reached the front door to the office and Ray pushed it open. Peter cast one last, lingering glance over his shoulder, then took a deep breath and followed Ray inside.

The doctor walked into reception just as the door clicked shut behind the two. The younger fellow had been coming to see him for some weeks now and he was surprised to see he'd brought another with him. The mans identity was obvious, but his relation to the therapist was by mention only, to date.

"Ah, dr Stantz, good to see you."

Ray smiled, walking over to the doc to have a quick chat with him while Peter stared at a bizarre painting that he honestly thought was the influence or some narcotic or another. Art was weird, he thought privately.

Ray soon reappeared by his side, pulling his attention away from the picture.

"I asked him to see YOU instead, Peter and he said that's fine. You can talk as little or as much as you want, ok?"

Peter had heard these words before, spoken them verbatim himself, in fact. But somehow, hearing them from Raymond made them sound different, like looking at something from a different angle.

So he gave Ray a reassuring smile and not without a certain measure of trepidation, he followed the doctor into his office. On the walls were charts he was familiar with, having had these same ones in his own office all that time ago. Many of the book titles looked familiar too, even though he hadn't read his copies in some time.

"Familiar? Dr. Stantz said you used to be a psychologist." Silverstream observed the patient studying the literature with a practised ease as he sat behind his desk. This was. A highly unusual session, but based on his time with dr Stantz, it was necessary.

"Uh, yeah," Peter said softly, hands stuffed in his pockets as he stood before the shelf "still am, technically. But the Ghostbusting thing tends to provide enough shenanigans that I haven't gone back to psychology in years."

"I've seen you four on TV, it's impressive what you've accomplished, that technology is the talk of science groups everywhere."

Peter smiled faintly as he turned away from the bookshelf "That is thanks to Ray and Egon. They're the geniuses. I just blow stuff up and somehow talk my way out of getting us arrested on national television. Oh, and sometimes I can outfox a ghost by psycho-babbling it into giving itself away."

"A useful tactic, no doubt." The doctor nodded, seeing exactly what Dana had all that time ago; this man was a lot smarter and intelligent then he acknowledged, yet he was latching onto his recklessness like a shield to hide a significant skillset. Giving off a carefree and uncaring air to keep people guessing.

"Look, we're both from the same field, why all the distracting questions. I know the real reason I'm here." Peter cut to the chase, studying this guy as he fought the urge to storm out of the office, only his promise to Raymond kept him there.

The doctor nodded again and sat back in his chair "Your friend came to me a couple of weeks ago, asking about ways to help someone with severe trauma. I'd like to start by going over the whole story, if you're not uncomfortable with that."

Peter was leaning back against the bookshelf now, arms wrapped tightly around his midsection. His expression remained all but unreadable, with only a slight shift in posture and a faint intake of breath giving any hints as to how he felt. He finally nodded, but he knew he had to keep SOME of the details secret. The Ivan thing for starters…

So he told the edited version, describing how he'd been drugged and kidnapped by some cultists who'd mistakenly believed he was integral to their plan because he'd been in contact with ghosts. They'd very nearly killed him, but that was when Ray and the others had tracked him down, resulting in most of the cultists being arrested, including the leader.

The doctor noticed Peter's particular vehemence towards the one he described as being the 'head loony'. His expression twisted in pained disgust, a shudder running through him.

"Ah, yes. Dr Stantz mentioned the same figure. Who was he?"

"He was insane, that's who he was! And that's putting it lightly," Peter growled "the friggin' loon had got it into his head that I was the solution to his little cults problems, that killing ME would get him ultimate control. Also, he was a pervert! He wouldn't keep his hands off me, it was creepy!"

He shook his head as bile burned the back of his throat "I felt sick every-time anyone so much as brushed against me after that. The last coherent memory I had was of some creep carrying on about what he'd have done with me in his bed if I weren't slated for the sacrificial spell. Ugh..i kept away from everyone for weeks, refused to even think about trusting anyone." he shuddered, hunching his shoulders.

Even though he'd since allowed Raymond to take him to bed and no longer felt like cracking apart completely under the pressure, he still felt a little on edge when he flashed back to that nightmare. It still haunted a small part of his subconscious and no doubt would continue to for some time to come, always in the background.

"Is this problem ongoing?" the doctor asked, his gaze still on Venkman. His body language matched the worried dr Stantz's stories. He'd expressed concern over how tired Peter was, how little he ate or spoke. How unresponsive he'd become…

Peter shrugged in response to the question, making a disingenuous noise. The doctor waited patiently, being rewarded after a stretch of silence as the patient finally spoke;

"Yes and no- Sometimes I zone out, my mind wanders and if people try to get my attention it makes me jump. But that's about it. It's not so bad, now."

He drummed his fingers against his sides, throat locking as he spoke words he would normally have consigned to the deepest, darkest part of his psyche. He was tensed for a lecture, but was surprised when the doctor spoke;

"That sort of response is natural, dr Venkman, unwanted contact is a very jarring thing. Your mind cannot fully let go because it's subconsciously expecting a reprisal. Dr Stantz informed me that he and the others managed to take down most of the group, with only a handful getting away. Doubtless, that bothers you on some level."

Peter scowled and glared at the floor a moment, then he nodded rigidly. His mind flashed back to just the day before, when he'd woken up thinking Ray was an attacker.

"I nearly attacked my best friend when I woke up from a bad dream and thought he was that creep." He pushed away from the bookshelf, striding over to the window and peering out "I don't get it, doc. We work with this sort of thing, shouldn't we be immune to it?"

"Regrettably not, dr Venkman. Its hard to practise what we preach, so to speak. Dealing with our own psyche is a difficult battle because we can fool ourselves all too easily. We are our own worst enemy in that regard."

Peter fell silent, an introspective look on his face.

"I don't know how much you've read about our exploits, doc, but we've literally been to hell and back. That was a weird one. What I want to know is why, with everything Ive seen and done, why this is still giving me nightmares?"

"I can take a guess; because this was personal. Mr Stantz described what he understood about the cult, saying they deliberately honed in on you after weeks of scoping your HQ out, it wasn't just random selection. That kind of thing is very close to the bone, so to speak. Whats important is, none of this was your fault, nor should you feel guilty for surviving it."

Peter jolted when the doctor said this, spinning on his heel and glaring at him. His heart pounded uncomfortably fast and his throat locked up and he had to force the words out.

"What makes you think I thought that to begin with?! That's ridiculous-" but he faltered, thinking about his outburst to Winston. He'd called himself inhuman, even declared he belong in the containment unit-

"After enduring something so terrifying, you became reclusive, according to your earlier statement." The doctor didn't linger on it, for which Peter was grateful. "In asking to see me, something must have changed?"

Peter stared sullenly, then nodded again "I'm tired of this making me feel like crap. I couldn't stand to talk to the others, didn't want them getting involved, even though they had been so since the moment they mounted that rescue effort."

"You wanted to spare them from what happened to you?"

"Yes! In fact, I wanted the whole damn world to just leave me alone and stop trying to fix me!" Peter clenched his fists at his sides, returning to gazing out the window.

"Why? Because you believed it couldn't be done-?" The doctor pressed, sensing he was close to something.

Peter spun on him then, "Because I already know i'm a mess that can't be sorted out, why do they waste their time?!"

-What did I just say?!- Peter thought as he stood there in shock, a hand pressed to his mouth as if he was about to be sick. He closed his eyes, was that really how he'd come to view himself? He thought back to his talk with Winston not an hour ago, where he'd admitted he still felt like Ray should've been angry with him over how he'd acted. Why was he punishing himself?

—Because it's the only way you can feel any control over the situation.— his mind filled in.

"Punishment does no good, especially when there's guilt." He whispered at last "how could I not have seen that?"

"As I said before, dr Venkman; it's hard to practise what we preach."

Dealing with instances like this often meant digging up these painful pieces of the past. From what the other Ghostbuster had told him, dr Venkman HAD been slowly unveiling pieces of his ordeal to dr Stantz and his other friends over the last few days.

"Has it helped to speak with your coworkers regarding this matter?"

Peter thought abut Ray, HIS Ray. How he'd done everything he could to reach Peter, even contacting this guy at what Peter knew was no small expense. The breakfast where the others hadn't batted an eyelid when he'd had a power surge and come close to frying half the electrical equipment.

"Honestly?" he muttered "Yes."

The doctor raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything, letting Venkman talk. He got the impression the patient wasn't accustomed to trusting people and this seclusion was making it hard to cope with what'd happened.

"I never took anything seriously because I didn't think anything was worth believing…" he trailed off, the rest of the sentence going unsaid out loud. But in his mind, two words filled the space.

Until. Raymond.

Being in love with his best friend had presented a conflicted set of desires on returning to the firehouse after the incident. On the one hand he'd wanted nothing more than to throw himself into Ray's arms and let his warmth keep the memories at bay. But on the other hand, he'd been terrified by that instance in the hospital where he'd shouted at them and everything had gone haywire. How his heart had sank when he realised he was responsible for it- that he'd become a freak. He'd been afraid he'd unintentionally hurt Ray.

"I thought I was doing the right thing, hoping whatever had attacked ME wouldn't spread to them, by keeping the secret locked away."

"Do you think they should have just left you to cope on your own?"

"Yes, no- I don't know! No.." Peter snapped, resuming pacing again "let me put it this way, doc; what if the rest of those loons come back and it gets them ALL hurt, or worse, KILLED because of me, because I told them about that night? No goddamn way!" he shook his head.

NO. He wouldn't…he couldn't…

"That's up to them, you can't force people to stop caring." The doctor said thoughtfully "clearly they want to help and wont take no for an answer. If you cant trust your own judgement, why not trust theirs? I cant tell you what dr Stantz confided in me, doctor-patient confidentiality as you well know, but I'll say this much: you have all the support necessary from your co-workers."

The thought of a worried, sleepless Ray made Peter's heart twist and he closed his eyes, all these thoughts buzzing in his head like a hive of bees.

"I grew up thinking people usually weren't worth trusting. I had good foster parents, but I was always reluctant to get too attached to anyone, in case they left me the way my mom did. I was a stubborn kid and soon became a stubborn adult with a penchant for talking anyone into anything. I have more drunken pranks to my name then the entire frat pack at university.

I could get along with anyone, talk my way into any party or out of any infraction. But I never held anyone in any real regard, they were just passing distractions to me. Then one day, Ray comes bounding over to ask about a book I was reading to impress this girl and before I knew it, he'd become the first best friend I'd ever really had. Mostly because he wouldn't leave me alone, he was determined."

"You two have quite a long history then, I take it?" The doctor asked. Peter chuckled, a smile lighting his previously sullen expression.

"That's an understatement. Ray had the most unstoppably optimistic attitude I'd ever seen, no matter what happened, he never stopped being so damn cheerful. He stuck with me from day one, and it was him who dragged Egon into our little gathering. The guy was painfully smart and about as social as a rock, yet somehow Ray gets him to tag along with us. After that, we pretty much became our own little group, eventually taking classes on Parapsychology together. We started Ghostbusters and from there we acquired Winston. Do I trust them? Yeah. They're the few I DO."

Thinking back; even falling for Ray and going beyond just friendship had been a hard-fought battle, as he'd convinced himself that someone so kind as Raymond deserved someone better. Was it easier to paint himself as the rogue than admit he was afraid he'd screw up? Admit he didn't want to lose the happiness he'd found in his best friends affections?

He thought about Winston's words "welcome back". He hadn't been laughing behind the smile, hadn't been looking at Peter like he thought he was a fool. Egon's unfazed statements hadn't been spoken with any derision and above all, Ray's unceasing efforts to cheer him up had come from his heart. Even Janine had called a truce of sorts to thank him for saving Cait. They seemed to believe he was salvageable, so why didn't...he?

"Allowing them to help would lessen the burden you've been carrying, would it not?" The doctor said calmly, seeing Peter's expression waver from it's previous stubbornness.

"Maybe you're right," he said softly, staring at his reflection in the window, seeing how tired and haunted he looked. Is this what his friends seen? Was that why Janine's 'once-in-a-lifetime thank you hug.' had been cautious, in case he had become more fragile from his self-imposed seclusion?

He felt light-headed and dizzy and the doctor suggested they stop it there for today. Peter nodded as he was told he could make another appointment, if he wished to.

"It's strictly up to you, dr Venkman, Dr Stantz has my contact number should you need it. But heres what I tell all my patients; you've made a big leap in coming here."

Peter nodded, this had been a strange sensation, trusting another like himself, but he supposed this was how his patients had felt, when he'd briefly had an open office on campus. He blinked as the doctor stood beside him now, expression friendly.

"One professional to another; I was once in this position also, seeing a doctor for help after a car accident left me terrified of coming anywhere near a car. But now I have a new car and I've driven across the country. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it to get my freedom back. But you need to take it slowly, take time to relax."

"Yeah," Peter smiled faintly "I want to get back to work. It's been too long since I even attempted to tune the proton pack and I think the lack of fire alarms going off is making our receptionist a little twitchy."

"I'm sure you and your co-workers can set up a phased return to work, it's a very common practise." the doctor walked over to his desk and pulled out a book. Peter realised it was the one he'd written during the hiatus, about parapsychology and the human mind.

"A bit of an unprofessional request, but would you mind signing this?"

Peter smiled, it was the least he could do, when he thought about it. So he happily signed the book, wondering if he should write another one sometime? He shook the doctor's hand, thanking him sincerely, then he stepped outside. Ray was perched in a chair, nose in a book. He looked up as Peter exited the office, searching his friends face for any change.

"You were here the whole time?" Peter asked, surprised "didn't you get hungry at all?"

"A little, but it's fine." Ray stood up, putting the book back in his bag as he nodded towards the door. He'd already sorted out any financial matters, so they were able to step out into the street, heading back to the car.

* * *

Peter suggested they pause for lunch, which Ray happily agreed to. They found a quiet little restaurant where they could squirrel themselves away in a corner booth and talk.

"Go ahead," Peter said, catching Ray's shy yet furtive glances at him as they ate "you can ask."

'Uhm….how'd it go?" Ray said softly, hoping he'd done the right thing in persuading Peter to go see the doctor.

"Can't say it didn't feel weird talking to someone the same way my patients once talked to me." Peter said softly, eyes locked on the man sat opposite him "But you were right, he did point out a few things I'd been ignoring. One thing being that I cant stop people from caring enough to refuse to let me suffer alone, especially cuties with hearts of gold. Rayyymond."

Ray looked so adorably relieved that Peter wanted to kiss him there and then. Heck, he honestly wanted to do a lot more, Ray deserved a VERY special thank you. But he kept his libido in check as they drove back to HQ, following Ray into the firehouse.

* * *

"Oh, you're back!" Janine looked up and raised an eyebrow "Ya didn't miss anything, its been quiet as can be."

Ray nodded, they had days like this where things seemed quiet and he'd learnt to treasure them.

He and Ray went to sit at the area behind Janine's desk, poring over the book Ray had brought with him. It'd turned out to be a comic book and Peter recalled Winston telling him about the stories in them bearing a strange parallel to his own circumstances. So now he quizzed Ray about this idea, smiling as Ray's eyes lit up and he launched in a soft-spoken but excitable explanation of his favourites. They were sat cozily close, with the warmth of Ray's body a welcome comfort to Peter. He paused mid-page to nuzzle Ray's hair and kiss the man lightly before returning to the book.

Egon emerged from the basement, greeting the two before heading for the stairs. That was when the phone rang and Egon paused with one foot on the first step.

"Ghostbusters- wha, slow down kid. Where, wait-!" but the phone had disconnected.

"What was that?" Ray asked, getting up from the table to lean over the stack of filing cabinets behind Janine's desk. In order to do this he was perching atop a box filled with old paperwork. Peter raised an eyebrow, more innocently distracting Raymond there.

Egon walked up to the desk as well, frowning softly.

"It sounded like they were in distress." He mused and Janine nodded.

"Yeah, the kid was hysterical! I caught part of an address, but that's when the line cut out."

"Hmm. Did they give any hint as to what was chasing them?" Egon asked "any background noise?"

"Well, it sounded like he had friends, they were all screaming their heads off-" Janine trailed off as she noticed something in the reflection of her monitor. Ray was leaning over the filing cabinets and Venkman was leaning back in his chair, eyebrows raised appreciatively and she soon realised why-

"Oh for- If you could kindly stop admiring Dr Stantz's backside for a moment, doctor Venkman, we have a serious matter on our hands!" she said crossly. Egon snorted, Ray went beet red and Peter just sighed loudly, before getting off his chair and sauntering up to lean against the side of the filing cabinet.

"Did I just here a sentence involving Ray's backside? Do I even wanna know?" Winston shut the door behind him as he walked in, raising his eyebrows at the assembled group. Ray faceplanted onto the top of the cabinets with a squeak.

Janine sighed and shook her head. "He's back all right." She grumbled quietly.

Peter snickered in response and Winston rolled his eyes, of course it'd been Peter's doing. His shameless side seemed to be growing back too, if Ray's flushed face as he pried it off the cabinet was anything to go by. Peter patted his partner's hair, lips moving as he whispered something that softened Ray's exasperated expression and added a faint hint of blush to his cheeks.

"As I was saying," Janine finished writing the little info she'd gotten "it sounded legit, they mentioned the old Falkirk place, I can look it up-"

"No need." Egon said softly "I know the one, theres a myriad of rumours surrounding it. It's fairly well known but has so far remained off my radar. This sounds serious, I may have to postpone the training with Eugene."

His lover was supposed to be coming over right about now for more practise with the proton packs, but Egon resigned himself to seeing him later, even as he felt just a little disappointed. He dismissed his personal feelings as he, Winston and Ray ran to grab their jumpsuits and head out.

For a moment, Peter thought about joining them, but he still felt a little fuzzy-headed from the therapists visit and he needed time to think.

Just as Egon started the car, the door opened and Eugene walked in.

Egon left the engine running and got out to quickly confer with him, saying where they were headed and that he'd back later. Eugene nodded, smiling at Egon in a way that made the doctor flush subtly, but he simply nodded and got back into the car. While they talked, Ray hopped out of the car and over to Peter, studying his wistful expression closely.

"You ok?" he asked, Peter smiled dryly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Go on Ray, they need you."

"You sure?" Ray asked and Peter nodded, setting his hands on Ray's shoulders and turning him towards the car, steering him forward a few steps as Ray chuckled.

"Sure I'm sure. I'll annoy Egon's boyfriend while you're gone. Now go on, scoot."

"I heard that!" Egon said out the window, shooting Peter a death glare as Ray settled back into the rear seat. The doors opened and the car sped off into the city, its siren echoing into the distance. Peter stepped away from the desk, arms over his head as he stretched, his muscles still adjusting after two weeks of mostly sitting up in the attic. Janine rolled her eyes at the silliness that'd just unfolded, but secretly she was relieved to see Peter acting like well..Peter again. Seeing him acting like a zombie had been very weird, given his normally bombastic personality.

"Now I know you're feeling better," she remarked sarcastically to him as he happened to glance at her now "you're as transparent as a windowpane."

"Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment!" Peter said airily.

"You would." Janine muttered under her breath with a resigned grunt.

"Coffee?" Peter suggested to Eugene, who waved at Janine and exchanged a few quick updates regarding his father, then he followed Venkman upstairs.

* * *

When Peter leaned back against the counter to wait for the coffee machine to wake up, Eugene noticed a familiar type of crest on his shirt.

"Were you in a fraternity?" He asked curiously. Peter blinked, looking down and noticing the sweater he wore bore the emblem of his old university frat group.

"Yeah, record holder for most insane pranks. Still am, if I'm right, haven't checked in awhile."

Eugene raised an eyebrow, he was definitely impressed "I joined the frat guys for a laugh, but by the time I vanished, I was getting sick of them. They were total a-holes, even by frat standards."

"Really? Those are some pretty low standards, as in I'm confident they could limbo-dance under a closed door!" Peter rummaged in the cupboard and set two mugs next to the machine.

"Yeah, but it wasn't all down to them." Eugene chuckled on seeing Peter straighten slightly at those words. If the man could be compared to a sniffer dog, he was on full alert; He smelled secrets, something he could analyse.

"Let me guess," Peter's smile was crafty as he added milk and sugar "it concerned our precocious dr Spengler?"

"Hole in one, doc." Eugene grinned, wonder what else Venkman would be able to put together with just that fragment.

"Eh, just call me Peter, sounds less formal." Peter shrugged as he handed Eugene one of the mugs of coffee and plopped his butt down on a chair. After taking a sip of coffee, he opened his eyes and studied the faintly smiling Eugene. He arched one eyebrow, as if to ask "is that a challenge?"

His opponents face said "try me."

"Well, since it concerns Egon, I'm guessing your fellow frat buddies didn't think much of him. Probably insulted him to your face."

"Yup. They didn't think brains were worth anything."

Peter nodded, he was familiar with that mindset "The night you vanished, you were out with Spengler, maybe trying to woo him? Or tell him you wanted to hit that?"

Eugene face-palmed and began laughing at Peter's blunt language "not quite in those terms, do-Peter, but yeah. I'd been growing apart from my old frat ways for awhile, especially since Egon began tutoring me in math. I know most people seen him as standoffish, cold and even abrasive-" he shrugged, taking another sip of coffee "to me he just seemed on a different frequency."

"I tried testing that theory once, using a dog whistle. He threw a book at me." Peter snickered "said it was upsetting his equipment."

Eugene shook his head, just chuckling at the things Venkman came out with. He noticed the same thing Janine had, that Peter seemed much more like his usual self, or at least as much as Eugene had gotten to know him.

"We went back to the university on a whim when Egon was catching me up on what I had missed. We had the unfortunate luck to run into those same clowns when we went to visit the spot where it all happened."

"I'm guessing that didn't go well?" Peter asked curiously, seeing Eugene scowl darkly.

"They asked why I was hanging around with Egon, made jokes about him needing training so he could act like a human being. One of them even tried to deck Eeg-"

"Seriously?!" Peter blinked "I don't recall seeing a mark on him.."

"That's because he used some move he told me he picked up from Winston and laid the guy out, pinned him in a flash. None of them expected that and it wounded more then a few egos. After that, Egon left when his phone rang, I think it was you he was talking to?"

Venkman thought back, nodding as he recalled the conversation "explains why he sounded a little strained, like he was pee'd off."

Eugene sighed, recalling Egon acting like a zombie after he'd finally caught up with him. "he doesn't let on much, does he?"

Peter thought a moment, then shook his head "nah, he's just not the type to be all exuberance and sunshine. That's Ray's department, he's the most euphoric person I've ever met in my life. Egon's more serious, more analytical and sometimes a bit too literal. He doesn't change expression much, but I can still tell when he's in a good mood. He done a lot more of that since you showed up, y'know."

Eugene smiled, thinking about his sweet Egon and everything he loved about him…

"So whatever you're doing, keep doing it. This is the happiest I've seen our little sea cucumber in YEARS."

"Why do call him a sea cucumber?!" Eugene had to ask, while trying not to laugh at the mental image he had of the creatures. Peter just shrugged and said it was a nickname he'd coined after Egon had complained near constantly about the things clinging to him that time the Sedgwick hotel had experienced a re-haunting by an old sea captains ghost. Entire floors had been flooded and sea life had materialised out of thin air. He also recalled Ray accidentally stepping on a jellyfish and almost bursting into sympathetic tears when he'd realised.

"I had to explain it was made of PKE and ectoplasm, so it wasn't living to begin with. But, Ray- he's a big softy at heart…" he smiled, thinking about his beloved Stantz "I think he has a soft spot for lost causes that most would just give up on."

"He cant bear to see anyone he cares about unhappy." Eugene said softly and Peter nodded.

"I'm pretty sure I owe him a lifetimes worth of thank-you's, I know the past two weeks have been hard on him." Suddenly Peter looked serious as he looked across at Eugene "I also know you were helping keep his mind off what was going on, while I blocked everything out. So, thanks."

"I may have also taught him to belch the alphabet, so….apologies in advance for that. But you're welcome. After all, you and Ray took care of Egon after I vanished! He spoke very fondly of your work in the university, about how Ray was the one who brought you three together. He told me about the grey lady too, the one from the public library. He pointed out that you guys finally caught her after all these years?"

"Yeah, she was a handful." Peter smiled fondly "Egon and Ray were so particularly steamed about her giving them the slip for so long, they legit wanted to go get drunk to celebrate afterwards!"

Imagining a drunk Egon, Eugene had to stifle a chuckle.

Peter grinned evilly "he passed out on the couch and snored. I drew on his face and he went ballistic when he realised."

More face-palming from Eugene "a bunch of us did that at a frat party. Never have I seen so many people with a certain male appendage drawn on them-"

Peter snorted, cracking up laughing at the picture this was painting as Eugene outlined the memory.

* * *

After that fit of immaturity passed, they ended up talking about frats in general and Peter regaled him with some of his own absurd antics.

"Seriously, you ran your underwear up a flagpole, while still wearing them? How?! I can't-" Eugene cracked up laughing at the mere idea and Peter shook his head, that'd been a GREAT day. Even security had been lenient, evidently amused by his antics.

Eugene had to admit, it sounded like Egon had been having fun with these guys while he'd been gone.

"I'm glad Egon was enjoying himself. Before I vanished, I was worried he'd never see anything of the world outside his studies. But, it sounds like you guys had a lot of fun."

"Yeah, Spengler's the one who got us all started on parapsychology, he and Ray are a pair of little geniuses, building all this stuff. Me, I just do the equivalent of saying "hey, look over there!" then run off giggling."

"Hey, if it works, it works!" Eugene chuckled "my dad used to tell me 'a little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.' So hey, go nuts."

"I should get that on a T-shirt." Peter snorted, imagining the look he'd get from Janine-

Just then, a loud blaring alarm shot through the building and Peter nearly spilled his coffee. Somehow he refrained form making any threats involving the source of the noise and his boot as he set the mug down.

"Thats not a good sound, is it?" Eugene asked, meeting Peter's eye as the doc shook his head to clear it.

"Around here, no." Peter muttered as he got up from the table with Eugene in close pursuit and they ran downstairs to where Janine was swatting at the source, finally shutting the noise off.

"What was THAT?" Peter asked as he and Eugene approached.

"Emergency signal, one of Egon's newest things, he dumped it on my desk just after you and Ray left for your little excursion the other day. They must be in trouble-"

Peter and Eugene exchanged worried looks at this information, both their partners were involved in this concern.

"I can't figure out this thing-" Janine growled, jabbing at a fancy bit of tech Egon had left with her. Peter scooped it up, realising it was a locator of bizarre design and was flashing a set of co-ordinates.

"You know how to read these?" he asked Eugene now, who nodded quickly.

"Good, then let's go."

Janine blinked as Peter ran over to his personal storage cupboard, throwing it open and rummaging inside.

"What're you doing, dr Venkman?" she asked as Peter stepped back, brandishing something she thought she'd never see again. His uniform. He looked over at them as he began wriggling himself into it.

"Im going to go kick the ass of anything that tries to harm Ray. Assuming it HAS an ass, no matter, I'll go for what passes as gonads if all else fails."

"Wait!" Eugene said, brain catching up to this sudden shift from laid back to frantic "Is there a spare pack? If they're trapped somewhere, two's better than one, right?"

Peter blinked, inexplicably recalling his minor jealousy last night, that harrowing fear he was being erased. But he could see this guy just wanted to be like the scientist he'd fallen for, after being missing for so long. By the sounds of it Egon had done a good job tutoring his boyfriend-

"Hey look, doc." Eugene said softly, seeing how Venkman had stilled, staring into space and half-in/half-out of the uniform "It's nothing permanent. You guys got this, I've seen you work. It was just to prevent total overload while you were off work, plus an excuse to play with Egon's endless array of gadgets."

Peter blinked out of his daze, his voice quiet when he spoke."I know, Ray explained it. Peck would've hounded you into the carpet; he gets like that if any of us get sick or take extended time off, he's such a ball-breaker. And I KNOW what you've been playing with Egon, so keep that to yourself. I was just thinking-"

"I knew I smelled something burning." Janine remarked as she swanned by, handing the details of the job to a red-faced Eugene and making Peter glare daggers at her over the other man's shoulder.

"Smart-arse." Peter shook his head as Eugene laughed his ass off and after finishing zipping himself into his jumpsuit, he gestured to Ray's locker.

"He keeps a spare pack in there, he wont mind if you borrow it. Should be a uniform too." He added as an amendment while he grabbed his own pack and two traps, as well as a PKE meter.

"Ready to roll?" Eugene looked at up at Venkman as the more experienced buster glanced at him now.

"Hell yeah. Let's go trap some ass- good grief that sounds SO wrong." Eugene face-palmed for what had to the millionth time that day "ow."

He felt himself flush with a mix of embarrassment and pride when Venkman let out a laugh of genuine amusement and clapped him on the back before heading for the door.

"I am SO telling Egon you said that!" Peter snickered.

"Don't. Even."

As they ran outside to Eugene's car, Janine tried contacting the others, even if all she got was a static signal.

"Hold on guys, Peter and Eugene are on their way. I think the doc is finally back to work..."

* * *

Peter drove while Eugene used a map and the co-ordinates from the device to guide them. It was a slightly awkward drive, Peter didn't say a word, just fixed his gaze on the road ahead and Eugene could see how he was fidgeting. He couldn't blame him, he was worrying about Eeg..

Soon they were approaching a rather rural area, and something about ti sent shiver sup Peter's spine. What had Egon said, something about a house…? He hadn't really been listening as his mind was still on the session with the doctor. Now he listened closely, something was gnawing on the edge of his senses…

"Is it just me or is the air humming?" they were the first words he'd spoken the entire trip.

"Kind of..?" Eugene said, tilting his head to try and discern it "it's a bit like that noise your fridge makes after a few years."

Peter nodded, motioning Eugene to follow as he zeroed in on a house that seemed at first glanced to be just an ordinary ramshackle mansion. Many windows were broken and tattered curtains flapped in the breeze. They parked the car and got out, Eugene taking a scan with the meter like Eeg had shown him. Nothing yet.

Peter set his hand on the door, then jolted back immediately as a painful jolt shot through him.

"What? What is it?" Eugene asked as he seen Venkman's expression shift to concern for a split second.

"A shock." Peter muttered, staring at the old house, expression set in stone yet Eugene could see a certain level on tension in the way the man set his jaw and lightly rested his hand on one of the traps he carried.

After a moment, Peter shook himself, saying it was probably just a static shock, then he nudged the door open. He heard the PKE meter he'd grabbed from Rays locker, now in Eugene's hands, babble and beeps filling their ears.

Eugene set off, flashlight in one hand and the PKE in the other. It was odd, the readings, now that they were in the house, seemed oddly subdued for something that had by all accounts trapped three seasoned professionals. He was aware of Peter's footsteps following his, yet the man remained oddly silent. Eugene had the sudden thought the more experienced buster might be using this as a sort of evaluation and suddenly felt nervous.

He made it into a massive dining room where he thought he seen something whisk past the open door at the end. He advanced on it, doing what Egon said and keeping alert-

But the readings still didn't budge and nothing jumped out to confront him.

"What do you think Doc-?" he turned round to ask Venkman and realised he wasn't there. At some point, the psychologists footsteps had broken off from his. Where had he gone?

He backtracked, but Peter wasn't in the study, or the pantry.,..

* * *

At last, he returned to the main lobby and realised Peter was THERE. He was puzzled, how had he moved so far so silently?! He'd definitely been behind Eugene as they'd made their way through the kitchen. But he dismissed that for the moment as he watched Venkman for a moment, but the man dint even seem to know he was there.

Venkman was gazing up a long flight of steps that led up to the first floor, expression oddly distant. His hands hung at his sides and his whole body was oddly still.

Whatever it was he was seeing, Eugene couldn't pick it up on the PKE meter.

"Doc?" Eugene asked at last as he gave up on the PKE helping him, "Uh, Peter..?"

"Why can't I find them?" Peter whispered and Eugene blinked, what was he referring to? Their friends?

He hesitantly reached out now and tapped the man's shoulder. Peter jolted sharply, stepping back whilst turning to face what his mind briefly perceived as a threat. The tension was visible in his posture for just a second, one arm positioned in defence-

Then Peter realised what he was doing and stopped, head pounding heavily. He uttered a soft sigh of relief, telling himself to calm the heck down.

"What is it?" he said, sounding a little cross.

"You OK? You were just sorta standing there."

"I think this place is messing with me," peter shook his head, looking at the door "soon as I started thinking about investigating up there, that's all I can recall. Like something is up there, broadcasting "don't see me!" At top volume. Can you feel it?"

Eugene looked at the door, but nothing tickled the back of his mind.

"Freaky, doc. But I got nothing. Then again, I'm about as psychic as a potato, so.."

Peter managed a brief laugh, but it soon trailed off as he looked at the PKE meter and seen how lifeless its readings were all of a sudden, a counter to its frenetic beeping when they'd first walked in.

"Something's up there. It's smart enough to try hide from our equipment" he said, his steely gaze never leaving the stairway "Let's go."

Eugene didn't question it, he'd gleaned enough from the conversations with Egon that the current theory was that Peter had a strange sort of ESP-esque ability after his contact with those cultists.

* * *

They wandered along empty halls, calling for their friends but no reply and Eugene realised what was bothering him. The silence.

"Shouldn't they have heard us by now? And on that note, shouldn't we be hearing spooky noises or screaming about revenge or that sort of thing?" he asked as they came to a halt at a spot where the hall split off and Peter's eyes met his, the same expression mirrored on his face. Eventually they reached a set of massive double doors that seemed to be hidden by the pathetic lighting that came from the broken windows around them.

Peter hesitated then set a hand on the wood, jerking it back straight away. It was the same sensation as he'd gotten from the front door.

"It's this house, or whatever resides in it." he whispered "it's concealing them."

A grin curved across his face "you cant fool me, you dimwit ghost. Mind tricks are my specialty."

Eugene tried the door, but it was locked. He and Peter shared glances then both backed up and opened fire with their proton packs. But when they shut the beams off, there was no difference, not even a scorch mark.

"Okay, that's weird." Eugene stated while Peter arced an eyebrow.

"Trust me, you aint seen nothing yet." he said dryly.

"How're we gonna open a door even these crazy lasers can't penetrate-?" Eugene began, only to be cut off by Peter snickering. "dangit, Peter."

"Sorry, I had to." Peter smirked, then his expression turned serious again "If this thing is somehow blocking the proton beams, we must be dealing with something really weird. Egon and Raymond must be geeking out by now."

"Would setting it on fire help?" Eugene said, at a loss for what to do.

"I don't think fire will work, if that was the case the door would be charred to ash by the beams." Peter said bluntly and Eugene sighed.

"So even if there is a way to knock the door down, it may be just us two against something BIG? Damn. It'd help if we could get the jump on it somehow."

Peter frowned at this, drumming his fingers on the door, then his expression changed subtly. Annoyance was replaced by a sort of panicked relief, with the barest hint of nausea in there and it made for an odd expression. Like whatever he was thinking both gave him hope yet froze his insides at the same time.

"Hey, you OK? You're white as a sheet." Eugene asked now. Peter snapped free from his daze, a flush of colour returning to his face as he looked at Eugene and asked "you familiar with the phrase 'fight fire with fire'?"

"Yeah, hear it all the time. Why?" Eugene asked, looking a bit blank. Then it clicked as he seen Peter glance at his hands, then at the door before them. Memories of dancing sparks, coloured a pure red as they flickered over Egon's laptop and caused it to catch fire...a supernatural flame.

"This 'power'," Peter said softly in response to Eugene's questioning look "It's possible it could make a dent in that door, but its so far only triggered when I'm incredibly pee'd off! Unless you know a way to annoy me THAT much, we're kind of stuck."

"Go do the paperwork?" Eugene suggested, earning a middle finger flip from Peter.

"Egon's a bad influence on you." He snorted, but the humour faded as he again confronted the issue. HOW was he supposed to-

He began pacing, running every possible thought through his mind, analysing them all. What was the main factor in every manifestation? For all he hated this curse he'd been saddled with; it was all they had right now. His stomach shifted, like it was trying to abscond from the rest of his body- it all snapped into place with surge of realisation that was far more powerful then it had any right to be, given what it concerned.

"Escape route…that's it!" He blurted this revelation with a snap of his fingers as he found his voice. Eugene blinked as he seen a red spark briefly light the air around the doctor's hand, but Peter didn't seem to notice.

"How do you mean?" Eugene asked, seeing a surge of determination reenergise the Ghostbuster. Peter looked at him, a smirk gracing his features as he clearly came to a conclusion.

"I didn't see it all this time, I just assumed its outbursts were at random. BUT, when this crazy ability caused all the damage before, it was because I wanted to escape and get away from what I perceived as a danger or a threat. All I have to do is dredge those memories up and with any luck it'll be enough to blow the doors off."

"You sure?" Eugene asked, seeing Peter glaring at the door again "I know you don't like to-"

The facade of brash confidence Peter had been frantically holding together collapsed now and he groaned, letting his head thump against a nearby wall. Eugene winced, was letting the doc torment himself like this REALLY the only idea they had?

"Look, forget about it. We'll drive back, get a grenade from Egon's office. Yes I know where he keeps them and no I'm NOT telling you." Ignoring Peter's annoyed pout, he carried on "that way you wont have to put yourself through that."

Peter fell silent, still letting his forehead rest against the wall. After a moments thought he forced himself to straighten up, opening his mouth to agree even as a sense of shame needled at him. Was he being a coward by doing this?

But as he was on the verge of agreeing, the whole place shuddered like a shockwave had gone off. Eugene felt about to be sick and slumped back against the wall for support as he tried not to throw up. For Venkman, the sensation straight out floored him and for several seconds he was unable to think, see or even move…then the pressure eased off and he coughed softly.

"What hit us?" Eugene asked as he dragged himself over and helped Peter to his knees.

"I have NO idea, but I'm gonna destroy it." Peter growled sluggishly. He looked at the door again now "either we made it mad or the others in there did. Either way, I think its MORE angry. We have no choice, it has to be this way."

Eugene was confused a moment, then realised what Venkman was saying as he pushed to his feet and strode forward to face the door.

"Doc, you sure-?"

"Yeah, kid. I'm sure. I can't shake the feeling that if we leave now, we'll never get them back." Peter looked a little green around the gills as he stepped back from the door, a shudder of anger running through him and twisting his expression. "as much as I despise this 'magic', if it means getting them out of there, I'm willing to give it the time of day this ONE time."

Peter motioned Eugene to stay out of range, saying he wasn't sure how much backlash there'd be. Eugene did as instructed, hoping this would work and they could find their friends.

Peter looked at the door, a deep dread filling him at the thought of WILFULLY letting loose what he both feared and despised all at once. But his doting Raymond was in there, along with his other friends and a bunch of terrified kids. A surge of disgust made his stomach churn and he felt a static sensation run across his palms. Looking down at his hands, he seen the sparks fading and knew the power had sensed his feelings and was slowly stirring to unleash itself. Closing his eyes he felt it unfurl and almost shrug itself, shaking out cricks and cramps from disuse…

From a point halfway down the hall, Eugene seen Peter take a deep breath, shoulders rising and falling as he steeled himself to unleash something big.

* * *

Peter dredged up every bit of anger he'd kept hidden away, anger at Ivan, at his father, and now at the things that were holding his Ray captive. Nobody was going to take the most amazing thing in his life. NOBODY.

Closing his eyes, he thought about the door, the power that was blocking it.

—This time its not me thats gotta escape, its the people who mean the most to me. You owe me this, you blasted magic insanity.—

Eugene's jaw dropped as he seen crackly red lighting form around Peter's hand, forming a hand that rested over his own for a moment, brushing his wrist and arm as it grew it strength. Then it dissolved that form and spread across the door as Peter's brow furrowed in concentration, forming a circle with what seemed to be crosshairs arrowing in on Peter's hand-. It spread to cover the whole door and the frame and walls beyond it. Time seemed to hand still, then there was a sensation of pressure that made Eugene's ears pop. With a strangely soundless bang, the doors weren't just wrenched apart, they were dissolved.

A curtain of dust and smoke blocked their view but Peter wasn't prepared to wait. He held his breath, hearing Eugene run up behind him as they dove through the dust and into the room. Seeing a huge, fugly ghostly spectre filling most of the room, both men opened fire.

* * *

Egon was silently cursing under this breath as he and the others were faced with a gargantuan ghost, one that had sealed the door, for where it had once stood there now appeared to be a featureless wall. There were several of the kids, all from a nearby college. They'd been on assignment, apparently investigating the old house in the hopes of taking some pictures for their project. But they'd been set upon by the house, barred from leaving and they described the house shifting as it herded them up here…

They'd tried to warn the Busters when they'd showed up and Ray had almost succeeded in escaping by virtue of being at the back of the group but the ghost had knocked him back into the room hard enough to wind him. He was back on his feet now, flushed and glaring angrily at the ghost. When they'd had the bright idea of reaching for their packs, the ghost, a fat, corpulent blob of a thing, had laughed and threatened to snap three of the students necks if they so much as dared. Egon had quickly seen that even the fastest shot would end in disaster. They couldn't hope to stun the thing in time to save all of them- After that, it'd ordered them to remove the proton packs, throw them out of reach…

"I wish Peter was here," Ray whispered and Winston nodded. Time and again Venkman had proven words could be just as effective as proton beams, only he could talk himself OUT of getting possessed.

"Stand with the rest of my soon to be meals," the ghost laughed "i look forward to devouring you Ghostbsuters, you're a thorn in the side of every one of us. Once I get rid of you three, ill find the last one and make sure he suffers the most-!"

It was ready to describe in excruciating detail what it'd do the fourth one when the wall where he'd hidden the door was suddenly blasted open, fragments of wall spraying everywhere. Twin beams lashed out, snapping around its rotund body. One seemed more skewed then the other but it soon steadied out.

"HOW?!" the thing raged "this is impossible! Nothing gets through my door-"

Egon's eyes widened, he and the other two dove for their packs without a seconds delay. They didn't waste time putting them on, just booted the things up from where they lay on the floor, nozzles aimed at the thrashing ghost as two full-power streams did their best to trap it. Soon all five beams were snared around the ghosts body, its infuriated screams near deafening.

"Go, GO!" Egon motioned the kids to evac and they didn't waste a second, vanishing into the light and smoke as two traps sailed forth, separating the ghost and ending its reign, once and for all.

* * *

The gaggle of students found the staircase had reappeared and pelted down it, flinging themselves outside where they huddled beside Ecto-1, catching their breath.

"Hey wait…doesn't this mean theres five of them now?" One kid asked "the three with us and two more barged in- who's the new guy?"

"One of 'ems gotta be Venkman, right? He was the only one who wasn't on this job, maybe he brought someone along with him?"

They puzzled over it as they waited for the Ghostbusters to reappear, who dr Venkman's mystery friend was? Either way, the two had saves their butts by showing up when they did!

* * *

Ray held his breath as the smoke cleared and two figures strode over, stopping several feet away. Could it be-?

"Well I'll be…" Winston said, eyebrows raised "aint you a sight for sore eyes?"

Egon was glad the kids had all cleared out, for the moment that followed was too sweet to be witnessed by anyone but them. Ray seen the familiar features of his lover and realised he was wearing his uniform again no less-

Ray let his proton wand clatter to the ground as he darted over to Venkman.

"Peter!" he cried happily, throwing his arms around Peter's shoulders as best he could with the older man's proton pack on. Peter stumbled briefly, but regained his balance and chuckled softly, hands coming to rest at Ray's midsection and squeezing his sides gently.

"You're back, you're back, you're back!" Ray squeaked breathlessly into his shoulder and Peter nodded, arms wrapping properly around Raymond. His heart was pounding in wild relief, he'd been so worried that ghost had hurt him…Time stood still again for a moment, as he just hugged Stantz, then his voice returned and he asked was he alright?

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ray whispered, his wide hazel eyes studying Peter now as he drew back, fingers tracing over the name tag of his jumpsuit. Venkman's heart ached as this action mirrored another former bad memory, yet once more Ray's sweet and gentle nature rendered the bad sensation null, replacing it with a sense of comfort.

"Are you really gonna come back?" Ray said softly, barely daring to hope-?

Peter hesitated only a few seconds, the last vestiges of doubt taking one last shot at his mind; but he knew better now. He met Ray's eyes, offering the anxious object of his affections a firm smile.

"You bet your cute ass I am." he murmured at last, which made Ray squeak and blush in delight. Then the younger man couldn't contain his delight any longer and drew close again to kiss Peter quickly but affectionately.

—Asgfsh- how is he so cute?!— Peter thought as he pressed into the brief kiss, reluctant to let him go. The plan had worked, his friends were safe and Raymond wasn't hurt. To him, it was a miracle...

Winston grinned and wolf-whistled when Ray boldly kissed Peter in front of all of them, but Peter just briefly flipped him off, without even taking his attention off Ray as the kiss ended.

Eugene seen Peter smile as Ray spoke, murmuring something that made the man chuckle.

"So whats the verdict?" Winston asked "you gonna get back to kicking ectoplasm ass with us my man?"

"Damn right I am." Peter said, seeing that smile light up Ray's face once more.

"Awright, yeah!" Winston cheered, walking over to Peter and clapping him on the shoulder. Peter met Zeddemore's grin with one of his own, he was slowly accepting how hard his friends were trying to help him get his life back. Egon caught Venkman's eye and walked over with Eugene at his side.

"This is exceptional circumstances, things are just how they should be."

"Took the words right outta my mouth." Peter said, making Ray smile again. But it really was a relief to have fixed this piece of the broken puzzle his life had become after the again found his eyes drifting down to the cutie he held against his chest. Ray smiled brightly and Peter smiled back, squeezing his sides and making Ray giggle.

"Ah, ticklish are we?"

"Peter, don't you even- pfffthaha..!"

Ray's attempt at a warning trailed off as Peter tickled his sides, making him crack up giggling. Winston laughed as Ray slipped round to hide behind Peter's back, arms wrapped around his shoulders firmly enough that Peter couldn't reach him. Even if he could've, Venkman was laughing too hard to achieve such coordination.

Eugene had to laugh, watching them goof about like that.

"How was it?" Egon asked Eugene, his blunt abruptness catching the man off guard as he nodded to the spare pack Eugene wore. Eugene took his eyes off the shenanigans and smiled at his lover.

"Oh, pretty good, I think. I don't know how you manage to be so on-point every time, Im still firing blind pretty much! You boys make it look easy.." Eugene scratched the back of his neck with a laugh to hide his nerves (that and it felt like a piece of cobweb had gotten down there.)

"Hey, don't sell yourself short," Peter piped up as he and Ray finally called a truce to spare their aching sides "you handed the kickback pretty well. Also you didn't run off screaming, that's always a plus!"

Egon raised an eyebrow, that was high praise coming from Venkman!

"So, I didn't flunk the test?" Eugene said, feeling a little light-headed that he'd had such an intense field test so soon.

"What test?" Peter asked blankly and Eugene laughed, then realised Peter was STILL staring blankly at him. His amusement had shifted into bewilderment, and once he'd caught his breath, Stantz came to stand beside Peter once more, glancing up at him.

"Well, I uh- I assume thats why you were following behind me, you weren't saying a word."

"Kid, I wasn't following you. I blanked out when the ghost began trying to hide the first floor from me. The last thing I heard before I went under was you wandering off."

Eugene stared "then whose footsteps did I hear?" He squeaked, seeing Venkman frown, further proving this wasn't one of the older mans legendary pranks.

Ray blinked, looking between the two. Then he shrugged and made a noise like "eughneh?"

"That's just what I was thinking." Winston said idly "either way, I'd say you passed, if you want to think of it that way."

Egon nodded and Eugene wanted to snuggle him the way Peter did with Ray. He had slipped an arm around the raven-haired ghostbuster, his attention focused back on Stantz now as they conversed. Ray was like a live wire, his delight in seeing Peter return to work barely being contained.

"I missed you." Ray murmured to Peter "it doesn't feel the same without you."

"Well, I'm back now. What is it you always say, "I'm not leaving"?" Peter queried and Ray beamed, nodding eagerly and hugging him tightly once more before letting go and going to retrieve his pack.

"How did you get the door open?" Egon asked of Eugene and Peter, "that ghost was using some powerful energy to keep it shut."

The change in Peter's expression was like a lightning bolt. He shifted from blatantly admiring Ray as he scooped up the pack and the traps; to looking like someone had just up-ended a bucket of ice water down his shirt.

"Lets go, I'm bored-!" He said hurriedly before Eugene could say a word, his voice sounded forced and oddly strained. He grabbed Eugene and began pushing him towards the door "let's just get outta here and hope no-one owns this place or we'll have yet MORE crap to deal with-"

Egon cocked his head slightly to the side, then darted off after Eugene and pulled him from Peter's determined charge, tucking a hand into the crook of his elbow. Ray and Winston exchanged confused looks, why was Peter suddenly so concerned about this? The guy usually found things being on fire to be vaguely hilarious. Then, there was also the way he was walking so fast he nearly tripped on the stairs as momentum grew.

* * *

Ray put on a burst of speed and caught up to Peter just as he reached the front door, catching his hand as it came to rest on the door handle and squeezing it gently. Peter glanced at him, guilt gnawing at him as he seen Ray's furrowed brow.

"What's wrong?" Ray whispered softly as he studied Peter's expression.

Peter sighed as the others caught up to them. He had to tell them eventually...

"Pete-?" Winston began but Peter spoke up.

"Please, just drop it for now. Let's go home." He said heavily and the others exchanged looks before nodding. Peter deserved a break from the inquisition…

* * *

The kids were huddled outside and they looked relieved, cheers filling the air as the Ghostbusters appeared with Peter in the lead.

"How did you call your other guys?" One student asked as the others flocked around Peter and Eugene, wanting to see the traps.

"Cool, you got someone new!"

"Who are you?"

Eugene blinked as he was bombarded with questions and his mind blanked. To his surprise, Venkman came to the rescue, addressing the gaggle of kids with his usual suave professionalism.

"This happens to be an old college friend of dr Spengler, Eugene Visitor. During an unfortunate illness I will refer to only as 'the pukening'," cue the kids laughing at this familiar terminology, "he helped cover our asses with the mayor."

One of the kids asked something and Peter chuckled, assuring one young woman that he was perfectly fine now.

"Cool, what's it like working with them?" One guy asked Eugene.

"Definitely a three change of underwear experience to start with, but it's seriously cool. Not to mention all the running about with the equipment is WAY more effective then a gym."

Egon smiled faintly at that, recalling Eugene doing a series of silly poses one night, joking about getting 'ripped'. Apparently that was a fitness thing...

"Cool, you ever thought about working at a gym? The one on campus-"

"Haha, sorry kids, but we're keeping him." Peter smirked, nudging the overwhelmed Eugene towards the car, the others falling in behind. Egon wondered if-

"How'd you know your other guys were stuck?" One last question made the group stop in their tracks for a moment.

"Thats a good question," Winston said "hey, Pete, how'd you find us anyway?"

"That weird doohickey Egon left with Janine, it started screaming like a banshee. Eugene managed to make sense of the directions and we drove here like crazy."

"Well," Egon said at last "I can mark that as a successful test, then."

They escorted the kids back to the college they'd come from, where the relieved Dean thanked them all profusely and happily wrote out a cheque in gratitude for bringing his students back.

* * *

They piled back into their respective cars, but this time Egon drove with Eugene and Peter joined Ray and Winston.

"You ok, Peter?" Ray asked as they sat in back, the younger man checking his pack for any damage.

Peter sighed softly, but realised he probably shouldn't keep hiding the issue.

"I'll explain when we get back." he promised and Ray nodded, accepting this in his usual gentle quiet way. He busied himself checking the both of them for any cuts or scratches, but by luck they'd escaped unscathed.

* * *

Peter remained somewhat subdued as Ray cooked dinner, sitting himself atop the counter much like he had that wonderful morning after. Eugene was sat with Egon at the table, watching the genius as he studied the PKE readings he and Venkman had picked up.

Egon noticed Eugene seemed oddly quiet and looked closely at him.

"What's bothering you?" He asked.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing-" Eugene began, but Egon shook his head.

"You've been quiet since- ah, was Peter showing off after the bust a bit much? He's very much the showboating type and it can be a little overwhelming."

"Yeah, kinda. I don't know how you guys do it, I've never had that kind of attention before. Surprised me is all, but today was all-round pretty awesome, if a bit scary."

"Grubs up!" Ray declared, he and Peter walking over to the table, their arms laden with plates of food.

Peter found he was even hungrier then he'd thought and made short work of dinner while the others talked. Egon was theorising that the footsteps Eugene had heard (since they evidently didn't belong to Peter), were likely a diversion tactic by the house. He hadn't picked dup any stray PKE readings after they'd trapped the ghost Peter tactfully named "hugh jass". (Facepalms abounded when the awful pun name sunk in.)

"Therefore, it is easy to conclude it was trying to lead you away from finding that room." Spengler finished and Peter scarfed the last bite of dinner, nodding faintly.

"You said it was messing with you, Pete? Something about stairs?" Winston asked and Peter nodded again, pausing a moment to take a drink before speaking.

"Pretty much. Soon as I began heading towards the stairs, its like my mind went blank and I don't remember a thing until Eugene came back and snapped me out of it. It felt weird, like pulling the curtains and it blocked out the light, muffled everything. Not only that, but the house tried to shock me when I first put my hand on the door."

Egon looked intrigued at this, mind going 100mph as he considered the reasoning behind it "perhaps it could tell you were different to the ones it usually preys upon?"

"You think ghosts can sense this sort of thing?" Ray asked, his childlike curiosity lighting up his face as he shifted in his seat.

"It's certainly possible-" Egon began, but Peter cut in with a sarcastic snort.

"Well it cant have done a very good job, or it would've seen what I did to the door coming a mile off-" He cut off, wincing and face-palming at his own motor-mouth. "crap."

He shut his eyes as he FELT everyone's gazes lock onto him.

"Crap?" Ray asked gently, tilting his head to try catch his eye and leaning forward slightly as he did. Peter sighed, opening his eyes and moving his hand away from his face. He was silent for a moment, then booped Ray on the nose with one finger.

"Crap." He said in resignation "crap on a massive scale."

"How so?" Egon asked, then had an inkling of why Peter had abruptly shut up.

Peter sighed, but recalled what the doctor had said during their session. If he couldn't trust himself, why not trust his friends? Even so, his stomach sank at the prospect of telling them.

"Pete?" Winston prodded "What's buggin ya?"

"I'll give you a clue, I didn't kick the door down and it sure wasn't the proton beams."

He seen everyone's eyes, bar Eugene, widen slightly as they hit on the answer at the same time.

"You vaporised the door with your mind?!" Winston was impressed, he'd never expected to see Peter TRY using the unwanted ability-

"Wow, it can do that to a door..." Ray's eyebrows rose, he looked awestruck.

"That hole in the wall was down to your ability, this is astonishing data-!" Egon began-

This flood of questions and attention sent a spike of nauseous unease through Peter and it quickly left him unable to speak as he grasped at the blank his mind had become.

"Then we can assume you woke it up willingly-?" Egon was getting a little carried away and Eugene tapped his hand, about to suggest he slow his roll, when-

"I didn't WANT to, Egon!" Peter said sharply, hands clenched tightly atop the table as he pushed to his feet, the tension obvious in his posture "nothing else worked, the beams made no difference and neither of us brought a grenade, so what choice did I have?! Can't we just drop it?!"

"Pete, relax." Winston said sternly and met Peter's angry and upset glare with a raised eyebrow. Ray glanced from one to the other, looking as worried as he possibly could. He set his hand over Peter's and squeezed gently, causing Venkman to lose a little of the tension as he glanced briefly at his partner.

"You're right, we had no way out." Egon said softly, meeting Peter's angry gaze "this isn't a normal phenomenon, it's personal. Sorry, Peter."

This startled Venkman, he hadn't expected that. It took most of the wind out of his sails, he hadn't intended to fly off the handle but he still despised this power he'd been saddled with. The doctor was right, the others did understand more then he realised.

"He's right, we tried everything. That big ugly ghost must've been REALLY determined to keep you guys in there." Eugene piped up, patting Egon's leg under the table. Egon nodded, he was curious about this matter, but knew it was hard for Peter to feel like he was under a microscope. Hence why he'd apologised, it was the truth.

"That's an understatement," Ray said softly "it wanted to kill us all and use our souls to feed itself. If you guys hadn't shown up when you had, we'd have been people pate."

"Ew." Egon said quietly, but nobody else batted an eyelid. Ray looked up at Peter, seeing the conflict in his expression.

"You guys saved our butts." He said gently "I know you don't like it, Peter, but we'd be gone if you hadn't used it."

"Yeah," Eugene said "it was pretty astonishing, the door got vaporised! I think I even have bits of door down my collar, itchy." He blinked as Egon tried to peer down his collar, but-

"eeeeEEG-your-hands-are-cold!"

"Hm? Oh, I forgot I was holding that soda can a moment ago."

"There wasn't any other option," Peter muttered listlessly, shoulders slumping as he gave up being angry at his messed-up ability "what was I supposed to do? If we'd left, it would've been too late."

"If it is any consolation; the choice to do so saved us from what I can safely say would NOT have been a pleasant fate." Egon put in.

"What he said." Winston dead-panned. Peter uttered a brief, short laugh but when he shot a glance at Spengler, he gave a subtle nod to the brainiac.

Ray tugged at Peter's sleeve, getting him to sit back down.

"Hey," Eugene put in, having finished wigging out due to his lovers cold hands "I thought it was seriously badass. That door was just- poof! Wish I could do that every time I lock myself outta the house, but dad would probably go mental."

Peter blinked at this, managing a weak smile but it soon faded. He seemed tired and not just from the stress...

"Hey, how about some dessert?" Ray asked, squeezing Peter's arm. Venkman nodded, but still remained rather subdued as Ray bustled about, returning with ice cream.

"Either way, nice work." Winston said to Peter and Eugene "you two kicked some serious ass, not bad for the first day back on the job, Pete."

Peter nodded, scarfing another spoon of ice cream.

"Sugar helps." He said absently.

"We're in one piece, the door got what was coming to it and all our butts are accounted for. Score." Eugene said, slipping an arm around Egon and accidentally making the doctor jump. But he relaxed quickly and turned his attention to the aforementioned dessert.

* * *

As the others tidied up, Egon set a hand on Peter's arm, getting his attention for a minute.

"I've been consulting my notes and I wanted to show you the test results. I figured it'd be easier without a captive audience."

Peter nodded, following after Egon as his stomach churned uneasily. What had Egon discovered that solicited a private talk? Or was he just wanting to break the news to him alone first and call the others later?

Peter came to a halt a few feet behind the skinny genius as Egon scooped up a big sheaf of printouts from the desk and turned to face him.

"This is like nothing I've seen before, Peter. Your brain waves have altered significantly. Do you remember how Ray's scans changed when he was contacted by that minion of Gozer? Well it's much the same as that, albeit your wave scans have an extra layer to them. Luckily, it's one I've been able to isolate and study."

He set the papers down and picked up a box. Switching it on, he stepped closer to Peter, whereupon it beeped softly, numbers appearing on the screen as Egon studied it.

"What does that mean?" Peter said tersely, glaring at the device.

"It's proof that the energy is always present, but on standby as it were." Egon shut the thing off and set it aside, returning to the paperwork.

"On to my main theory regarding its emergence so far. I believe, at some level, that it's acting on your desire to protect yourself. Take the pancake incident; I seen those sparks trying to explore the room, I believe they were looking for a way to get you out, just as they did before when you preferred to keep your distance."

Peter blinked, looking surprised "then, I was right?!"

"Hm? Right about what?" Egon asked, studying his surprised expression.

"When Eugene and I were trying to knock the door down, I was trying to think why the darn stupid power kept going off. I always fled the scene, so I guessed it was something to do with it trying to cause a diversion so I could get outta there."

Egon nodded "that matches my theory exactly, wether you realise dit or not you were already making demands of it and it was doing its best to accomplish them."

Peter flinched and wrapped his arms around his stomach, his voice barely audible "I had to get away, I didn't WANT to set it off, I didn't want it to hurt anyone."

Egon heard him but didn't say anything, for while Peter's recovery so far seemed miraculous, he knew there were still some pieces of the man that were lost or damaged.

"Egon, is there a risk it could hurt someone?" Peter whispered, his stomach dropping into a deep dark void at the thought of this.

Egon gave him a reprimanding look, however "I highly doubt it. When you suffered that dizzy fit in the kitchen, Ray was as close as he could be yet he told me he didn't feel a single thing. He did mention however, that your body temp seemed unusually high, as if you were momentarily feverish. But I'll go into that later. Winston and I seen that red lightning cover most of the room, but it never went near US and I TRIED getting in its way."

Peter opened his eyes, looking at Egon like he finally thought the genius had gone berko-insane. He'd had his eyes shut during that whole event, afraid he'd throw up if he opened them. All he recalled was the warmth of Ray's hold, keeping him steady and asking was he alright?

"He wasn't afraid, was he?" He said softly and Egon actually smiled faintly.

"Ray's sole concern was you, I doubt the outburst even mattered to him."

Peter couldn't help a faint smile as Ray's sweet nature once again amazed him.

"You said it yourself, you didn't want to hurt us. By my understanding, that demonstrates that you have clear potential to control it. It sounds bizarre, but I think it needs practise-"

"Oh no no no." Peter shook his head as he began pacing back at forth "Enough is enough, Egon. I took a big risk pulling that stunt today; it could've blown up in our faces, Eugene and I. I expected you to be a LOT more peeved that I dragged your bed buddy into it. Never mind; the point is it's too dangerous; I told Winston before and I'll tell you the same now; if it comes even remotely CLOSE to hurting Ray, forget it. I'm not taking the chance, therefore I am NOT helping this mistake gain any further footholds in my mind than it has already."

He came to a halt standing in front of Egon, arms folded and expression stony, but Egon didn't even blink, entirely unflappable it seemed.

"Bed buddy, really? And yes, I was annoyed, but Eugene understands the risks of our job. I explained it to him when he first began helping us out during your absence. This power isn't going to fade away Peter, even you know that. I get that you want to protect Ray, but merely suppressing it could result in further outbursts. Not only that, but I think all this effort to ignore it is putting stress on your physical body. My scans reveal your BMI is dropping unusually fast."

"Meaning what, exactly?"

"It stands for Body Mass Index. In other words, your WEIGHT, Peter." He jabbed Peter's belly with his pen, causing Venkman to twitch and bat his hand away. "It's like a high fever, burning through resources. Which brings me back to my point earlier; Ray noted your skin temperature, even through your clothing, seemed higher then it should've been. I believe the power does strain the body during use, but also that that could just be due to inexperience with handling it. "

All Peter could think in response to that was —Ray'd know just how hot you get, nudge nudge, wink wink.—

"Whatever you're thinking, save it for when Ray is present." Egon said bluntly, arching one eyebrow.

"What?!" Peter said, looking moderately offended as he stared at Spengler, who smirked.

"You say I don't blink? Well, you get this particular smirk on your face whenever your mind is in the sewer."

Peter pouted and grumbled, but he couldn't blame himself. Ray was a distraction on legs. Warm, cute…and that ass-

"Peter, will you kindly focus!" Egon's annoyed voice snapped him back to the present and Peter rolled his eyes but reluctantly put his thoughts about Raymond on the back burner.

"These are concerning readings, if this rate of burn-up continues, you could start losing a dangerous amount of weight. I know Peck keeps lecturing us about keeping in shape but this wont go down well."

At the thought of Peck, Peter shuddered in annoyance "Did he show up often while I was…elsewhere?"

"Sadly, yes." Egon sighed "he demanded to speak to you at first, but Winston got right into his face, saying you'd been hospitalised and the doctors said 'no stress', which meant he wasn't getting within thirty feet of you. I genuinely thought Peck was going to start a fight, but Winston was making it pretty clear he'd take him in a fight with ease."

Peter blinked, he hadn't known about any of this. His friends had been keeping the menace that was Peck at bay, by sheer determination alone it seemed.

"Peck persisted," Egon continued, not seeing the emotions flickering in Peter's expression "But I told him his chances were less then zero and to continue would only be an exercise in futility. He eventually said the following; "I'll find out what stunt he's pulling and then none of your nonsense will stop me.". That was when Ray 'accidentally' dropped a manual on his head from where he was walking downstairs. His acting in making Peck believe it was an accident was exemplary."

He heard Peter begin to chuckle softly, seeing a look of amusement on the man's face as he imagined the scene.

"Truthfully, I think it was only remarkable self-restraint that stopped him from dropping one of the others book he carried, that being one of the volumes of Tobins."

"Owch." Peter snickered, he'd seen the size of those books!

"That does bring me to my final point, being that humans suffer and heal in different ways. Ray worries you're placing too much of the blame on yourself, I could see it at dinner. Even though your actions got us out of trouble, you instead focus on expecting my being angry."

This reminded Peter of the though he'd had back at the doctors, about how blaming himself felt like a way to control something about this mess.

"Punishment does no good if there's guilt." He murmured.

"What?"

"Hm?" Peter blinked vacantly at Egon, wondering why Spengler looked so confused.

"Have you ever realised you talk to yourself a lot?" Egon sighed in exasperation.

Peter just shrugged, wearing a bemused and unruffled expression. He looked so blissfully unconcerned that Egon just facepalmed and ignored the faint snicker he heard.

"Anyway, back on point. Do you remember when that sandman tried to carve my eye out, threatening me with eternal blindness? I was unsettled for nearly a week afterwards."

"Huh, I do remember you drifting about like a zombie and taking sleeping pills." Peter thought back to that encounter; they'd each woken in strange dreamscapes, with only Ray being able to break free. He'd gone to rescue the others by breaking into their dreamscapes and throwing them out of windows. (Where he'd learnt that method, he refused to say.) He felt his face turn hot as he only now recalled Ray appearing in his flashback to when he'd been helping Dana during her possession. The image of Ray wearing a very sheer fabric and sat up in the bed- wow.

"OK, now what's wrong with you?" Egon asked suspiciously upon seeing Peter go unusually red, was he having some sort of power fluctuation? He tried his little device again, but the readings weren't elevated.

"It's nothing." Peter coughed, shaking his head "a bit light headed is all. Back on point, what's you zombieing out got to do with me?"

"It may have been less noticeable due to my eclectic habits, but the method was the same. It was how I tried to cope and it was a poor choice of modus operandi. Ray seemed to know something was off, as it turned out he replaced my sleeping pills with placebos, he was worried I was relying on them."

"He replaced them with sea creatures? Ew." Peter scrunched his nose in distaste, making Egon sigh.

"Placebos, Peter, not amoebas. Placebos are a metal trick, they often do nothing yet help convince someone they're getting better."

"Oh," Peter snickered "that's less gross, then. And why does that not surprise me, Ray seems to see this stuff a mile away."

He flashed back to when he'd been hiding from everyone, recalling the little gifts Ray had left for him "he was always leaving little things by the attic door, somehow he knew when I wasn't there."

Egon nodded "I have only ever seen such dedication in nature documentaries, I often heard him stealthing around the building. My point is that it's in his nature, he's very empathetic. He won't back down Peter, I seen how happy he was when he greeted you at that house-"

Recalling the kiss, Peter smiled faintly. "Somehow he always has hope in things, I dunno how he does it."

"Thats just the kind of person he is, you're both very stubborn but in different ways."

-Cant argue with that, I guess.- Peter thought, whilst pondering the sweetness that was Raymond.

Egon resumed talking "anyway, I think Madame Laveau can help you. You recall the woman we visited in New Orleans?"

"Duh, course I do. You were practically champing at the bit to get a scan, you were nerding out."

"I was NOT." Egon scowled, nudging his glasses up his nose "she's been around for nearly 200 years, she's bound to have accrued some knowledge of power like yours. We should make plans to see her as soon as possible."

Peter thought about it, thought about the safety of his lover…

"All right." He consented at last, making Egon sigh in silent relief. The way Peter held himself was still very tense, but it was significant progress over his tantrums and self-seclusion.

"I suggest we set out as soon as we can, not for fear of further outbursts- before you get that idea in your head- but so we can get you some kind of peace of mind at least."

Peter nodded, closing his eyes and sighing softly. "We telling the others now or..?" he asked with a shrug and barely were the words out of his mouth then he heard Egon put down his phone.

"Already done." he said bluntly.

Peter blinked in laconic surprise, then nodded once. His mind soon wandered as they awaited the others; he'd like peace of mind. Even if it wasn't complete closure, he wanted to feel safe…

* * *

Ray, Winston and Eugene showed up mere minutes later, although it seemed Eugene was only stopping by to say hello to Egon, as he turned to go soon as he'd exchanged a few words with him.

"Oi, you're not ducking out on this." Peter snorted, making Eugene blink at him as he halted mid-step "you wanna follow lover-boy over there, get used to standing around and hearing a LOT of talking-ow, hey!"

He cut off as a pencil bounced off his head, courtesy of Egon. Janine wandered in then with a cup of coffee, shaking her head at the scene.

"So childish." Peter snorted, but Eugene couldn't help laugh as he assumed a place beside Egon. Winston shook his head, but he was relieved to see the 'new guy' really did seem to be taking well to assisting both Egon personally and all of them as a whole.

"What's happening Egon?" Ray asked, from his perch next to Peter atop one of the tables. Peters arm was wrapped around his middle and Ray couldn't help envy how bold Venkman was.

"After reviewing the readings I gathered and detailing their contents to Peter, I propose we take a trip to New Orleans."

"Why there-? Oh, the voodoo lady…right?" Winston asked, surprised by the proposal. It was a ways to go, but he could see Egon's reasoning.

"Madame Laveau, correct." Egon said with a nod "she has accrued an immense amount of knowledge during her time on earth and I theorise that if anyone knows anything about magic, it'll be may be able to recognise the exact type of power Peter has, and perhaps how to limit its surges."

"I remember her, she was a nice lady." Ray said, looking at Peter "I'm sure she'll know something that'll stop those headaches."

Peter nodded silently, but Ray could feel how tense he was, as he was pressed close to his side.

"What's eating you, Pete?" Winston asked, knowing he'd hit the nail on the head when Peter scowled and his free hand clenched atop his lap.

"I had hoped as few to know about this freakish mutation as possible." he said tersely "I want to find a safe way to keep it under control, then I intend to barely give it the time of day unless its to save my ass."

"So...business as usual then?" Janine added, making Peter give her a sarcastic glower and stick his tongue out.

"Peter.." Ray sighed and Peter sneakily tickled his side, making the poor man squeak loudly and scoot away from Peter's hand. In the wrong direction. Which meant he bumped into Peter, lost his balance and would've fallen flat on his back had Peter not hooked an arm round him. The end result almost looked like the break in a tango dance, where the lead dips their partner back...

"Whoa there, sailor." Peter chuckled, steadying him and making sure he could stand straight before he outright fell over all the way "didn't think you were that level of ticklish, yeesh!"

"It's not my fault, you startled me!" Ray pouted as he stood back on his feet, face reddening.

"Egon, you got a camera?" Janine pleaded, and Peter smirked evilly as he heard her.

"You try it, I'll fry it." he said with a snap of his fingers. Cue the lightbulb going out behind where he sat. "Oops."

"Crap." Janine pouted and Peter patted her on the head as he walked by, earning another death glare.

"I need coffee, be right back."

Ray chuckled, his face reddening as Janine raised an eyebrow at him and mouthed "meow.". A reference to when Peter had all but clambered onto Ray's lap when they'd been snuggled up together on the couch…

Then something occurred to him, just before Winston could point out he was making 'that face' again, all dreamy and absent.

"The tests, did they uncover anything about why it made him so dizzy?" he blurted, looking at Egon.

"It revealed the 'power' as it is being referred to IS replenishing actively, although for the most part it seems to be dormant unless he's threatened. Nonetheless, its always present, a bit like a background program on a computer. But with Peter putting all that effort into keeping it suppressed, its fighting to exert itself. My theory is that he needs some method to vent it without causing damage to himself or nearby property. I DO have a theory that his recent improvement in physical and mental well-being has made it less painful for him to access it."

"It's not that simple, though, is it?" Ray asked and Egon shook his head.

"I suspect merely learning self control will only satisfy that power a short while, then it will seek an outlet again. I may need to invent a way to shield the wiring if it manifests as that lightning again."

"We'll find something.." Winston assured Ray, who looked a little downcast..

* * *

Peter was on his way back with the coffee in hand when it hit him. The world pitched and yawed and his vision blurred.

—You cant hold on forever…— that same voice from his nightmares hissed —sooner or later, destiny will take control!—

Peter snarled, taking blind action and punching the wall hard enough to split the skin, blood trickling over his fingers as the haze faded. His stomach churned from a mix of anger and fear and after a moment it became too much to bear and he shot off towards the bedroom, dead set on reaching the bathroom. He spotted their ghostly resident too late and shot right through her, unable to stop.

He heard her call after him, but it was lost to the loud pounding of his pulse as he threw himself into the bathroom, fumbling the lock shut behind him…


	10. Familial Connection

As they conferred, Alessa manifested herself above the group and cleared her throat, making them all halt and look up.

"My apologies for intruding, but its rather urgent…" she said in the silence that followed.

"What's up?" Winston asked "someone spot you?"

Ray had spoken at length with their friendly spook, saying that while THEY had no problem with her, not everyone was so kind. If she was spotted, there could be trouble, she he urged her to use caution.

"No, I have kept myself hidden well" Alessa shook her head at Winston's question, then turned her attention to Ray "I could not help but observe your partner in some distress. He ran right through me as I traversed the halls, looking about to collapse and proceeded to barricade himself inside the washroom. I tried to enter the room, but something is keeping me out…"

Ray went pale as he added all this together to form a bigger picture.

"Oh no." he squeaked, and with that they ALL ran off towards the communal bathroom. Sure enough, it was locked.

"Peter?" Ray rattled the heavy wooden door, but it wasn't budging.

"I'm fine. Go 'way." Peter's slurred voice reached them through the door after a moments pause.

"You sound like crap, man." Winston said with a frown "open the door."

"I've been sick worse than this after going drinking! I'm not going to break at the seams, you can GO already." Peter said sharply. But even as he said it, he was curled up against the cold tile wall, resting his forehead against it. Shudders darted through his body, he felt like he'd been hollowed out somehow…

"Peter, this isn't some kind of joke," Egon frowned as he heard the tone of Peter's voice "This justifies my concerns over this matter affecting your metabolism, this could cause serious harm-"

"Uuurrgh, are all of you out there?!" Peter whined, the room swaying and dipping as he struggled to his feet. He gripped the sink and waited for the room to settle before reaching for one of the glasses at the sink. His first attempt went wide and he knocked it to the ground. More flecks of blood from his injured hand decorated the sink, the red seeming glaringly bright against the cracked porcelain.

Outside, the others faintly heard a shattering sound and Peter swearing.

"Alright, everybody back up." Winston motioned them back.

"What're you gonna do?" Janine asked him, eyes wide. How was Peter enduring all this? She'd never seen any kind of illness that did this to a person. A glance at Ray revealed him to be white as a sheet, his glance darting between the door and Winston.

"I'm gonna use a little trick we used in the marines, simply known as "the supply rooms stuck again, let's kick the door down." Winston explained as they all moved back, focusing his attention on the door as he shifted his position.

"Pete, you'd better move away from the door if you're listening. This thing is going DOWN."

That said, he delivered a precision strike with his boot and as promised; the door was sent tearing off the old hinges with a screech of protest.

* * *

Peter was faintly aware of the door flying off its position to land roughly a few feet from him, but by then the room was hazing at the edges and all he could discern was some blurry shapes running towards him-

One of them was shouting his name, reaching for him. Peter tried to take a step towards them, but he couldn't fight any more and gave in to exhaustion, blacking out as the floor whooshed towards him….

"Sh-t!" Winston swore, diving to grab Peter before he added a concussion to the list of aches and pains he had. First thing he did was check his pulse, but while it was normal, something else wasn't.

—Geez, he's burning up. This isn't good…—

"Peter?" Ray said anxiously as he knelt down beside Winston. He placed the back of his hand against Peter's forehead, expression shifting to alarm when he felt how hot his skin was.

"C'mon, let's get him to bed." Winston said "something's seriously up with all this."

* * *

Eugene, Janine, Alessa and Egon watched from further back as Winston and Ray exited the bathroom, with Zeddemore carrying an unconscious Peter. He set Venkman down on his bed, Ray running off and soon returning with a first aid kit.

"What's doing this to him?" Janine asked as Winston quickly bandaged Peter's hand, noting the obvious impact damage from the man punching a wall. Why, though, that puzzled him.

Peter almost resembled a ghost he was so pale. When she'd given him that once-in-a-lifetime thank you hug, Janine had noted he felt far less substantial then his appearance suggested. That theory was adding ground by the minute, the more things went on…

"I don't know." Ray croaked as Winston set about using his medic training to check their unconscious teammate. "I thought things were getting better, it doesn't make sense-"

"Maybe it DOES." Egon said so softly Janine didn't think he'd even spoken at first, but she seen Eugene frown and Ray go tense as his gaze snapped across to land on Spengler.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stantz said at last and Egon blinked, meeting Ray's unhappy gaze and taking a deep breath.

"I'm merely theorising that since the ritual those cultists were doing when we SWAT-ed the place was cut off, maybe this is a side effect? A loose end I haven't been able to put my finger on."

"You think it's trying to finish itself?" Eugene asked.

Egon sighed, he hated uncertainty "I had thought it unlikely, but when you factor in the spell circle from the last incident…."

Ray used the sort of language he normally reserved for Peck's visits, making everyone that wasn't Winston stare at him in surprise. Winston had long since asserted his ability to swear like a top-notch sailor.

"Then I was wrong, those nightmares he was having ARE some sort of precursor-?" he seemed to go even paler "oh no.."

Egon opened his mouth to point out dreams were hardly a reliable source of data, when Winston spoke.

"OK, Pulse seems normal, breathings fine. Everything else; he's running a fever of nightmarish degrees, and his body temperature is definitely not regular. In short; I've never seen someone decline this fast."

"He was fine when you guys came back from that crazy house incident…" Janine looked across at Eugene "was he acting weird, well, relatively speaking for doctor Venkman, when you guys went off on your own?"

Aware everyone was suddenly staring at him, Eugene thought back to just a few hours ago.

"Well, yes and no. He was spacing out, but that was because the ghost in the house was messing with him. Once he snapped out of it, he seemed fine."

"No blacking out?" Egon asked.

"Or complaining of headaches, nausea?" Winston added.

Again Eugene thought back, but shook his head. "We both felt it when that thing lashed out, it was like a sucker punch. I'll admit I was a little worried when it became obvious we didn't have time to try any other plan; that he'd have to open the door THAT way."

Egon recalled Peter's anger at them discussing the manner in which he'd destroyed the door to free them all. Of course, agitation was normal in that instance.

"I tried suggesting we try any other way, but he seemed adamant we didn't have time. I don't know how he got it to work, he insisted I keep a fair distance, guess he couldn't be sure which way the door would explode."

"I didn't think to check on him, scan-wise." Egon frowned "the imminent relief of the stalemate being over was overwhelmingly distracting."

"Me neither, I was...he seemed fine," Ray said, recalling the familiar smile and carefree attitude Peter had displayed as he confirmed he was back to work. They'd all been so happy, none more so then he'd been.

He blinked as something occurred to him. "He wasn't showing any signs of high body temp. Not like he is now."

"Hm, so it was delayed?" Egon suggested and Ray nodded.

"It never occurred to me there'd be backlash. This things taken up residence in his body and we haven't a clue how it works. I should've stopped him."

"No way you could've pre-empted this, either of you." Winston said as he stood "so drop it. Ghosts, sure. Nobody can outsmart you two. But this is a whole other kettle of fish- none of us got a bead on this. We're flyin' blind, none more so then Pete himself."

Ray thought back to Peter saying the dreams felt like more than just PTSD. Was he right, was there something more to this?

"How longs it been since the kidnapping?" Janine asked now, she'd been following their entire conversation and wracking her brains for any idea.

"About three weeks, give or take. Why?" Egon asked her.

"Well, if they wanted to finish what they started, why wait this long? It doesn't make any sense."

"She's got a point," Winston mused "if they were THAT set on finishing, they've hit the firehouse by now, if Pete was that important to their unique lunacy."

Egon appeared to relax a little "so we can assume they're not fixing to finish what they started. Which leads back to my main hypothesis; because the ritual wasn't finished, the levels of power they were dealing with aren't under any restraint. Its being housed in a human who has no idea what he's dealing with."

"Why is it doing…THIS to him then, Egon?" Janine asked "because he doesn't know how to control it?"

"That's my best guess," Egon nodded seriously "its demanding a level of 'fuel' and control that simply isn't possible, and as a result its taking huge swathes of resources every time its activated. It's like shock, theres often a delay before it kicks in."

"So if he hadn't set it loose on that door, he'd be fine?" Eugene winced "I knew I should've stopped him-"

"First off- stop Pete from having his own way? Good luck with that, pal." Winston managed a wry smile "second off- I think knew he was the only option we had. We would've been in serious trouble if that ghost had gotten tired of waiting and tried hollowing us out to use as halloween decorations!"

"Gross," Eugene laughed weakly, then sighed "yeah, he seemed to say as such. I hadn't a clue what else we could do, so…"

"As Winston pointed out, Peter is stubborn, you'd need further work stints with him to know when he won't listen. Which is most of the time, except if Ray is around to scold him." Egon said calmly.

"Hey yeah, that DOES work." Winston thought back, recalling several times when Peter had actually pulled up short due to Ray putting his foot down.

"I do NOT scold him!" Ray glowered at his teammates. Janine snorted into her hand, trying to muffle her laughter. When Ray gave her that look, she couldn't help laugh out loud.

"Oh please, you're the closest thing to impulse control that man has." She patted his shoulder "you deserve a medal, seriously."

Ray flushed, grumbled under his breath but didn't seem to have any real objections. The others chuckled to see him so flustered, there was a certain cuteness to the way those two looked after each other.

After a moments pause, Ray spoke again, all humour faded "There has to be something we can do?"

"Well, we need to find someone who's an expert on this sort of thing. So far my recommendation still stands." Spengler looked at Ray, who nodded.

"New Orleans?" Winston piped up and Egon nodded his agreement.

"I remember you telling about that woman you encountered, Egon" Janine spoke up, "you said she had expertise in fields you never heard of before. You think she knows about magic?"

"I'd bet on it."Egon said seriously, making everyones eyebrows raise 'of all the people I've read about; let alone MET, she stands out. It's a long shot, but we need to bring Venkman to her. At the rate he's going, he'll burn up and he risks systemic failure if this hits a critical point."

Ray looked about to throw up, but managed to keep his voice steady as he asked "I know he'll hate it, but maybe we should admit him to hospital? They'd have the resources to stabilise him, wouldn't they?"

"They would, that is irrefutable. But bearing in mind how bad it affected him when he woke up in a hospital last time, I think we should call a personal doctor. Yes, it's expensive, but it'll be a lot less jarring if he wakes up here where everything's familiar instead of the hospital again. If the surges affect the hospital like the first time, I wont be able to hide it. Things could get complicated…"

Ray nodded, he'd dig up whatever funds necessary to cover it. He just wanted Peter's nightmare to end.

He moved to sit on the edge of the bed now, watching the sleeping Peter. Even as Ray studied him, he seen Peter frown uneasily, saw his hands clench just a fraction more-

He moved his hand so it was brushing Peter's, hoping the contact would do something to help and by some miracle, it did. Ray sighed in relief as Peter seemed to slip into an easier sleep.

The other were discussing what to do next, besides calling a personal doctor to check Venkman over.

"I'll postpone the trip up to new Orleans-" Egon began, but Ray twisted round to stare in confusion at the genius.

"What if we don't have time for that?" He asked "its getting worse, you said it yourself, Egon-"

"I know what I said and I stand by it. But the fact still remains that Peter's in no condition to-"

"She's the only shot I have, isn't she?"

They all turned now, seeing Peter was half-awake and staring feverishly at them.

"Peter-?" Ray shifted so he was in Peter's line of sight, drawing the patients attention for a moment. Peter instinctively tried to sit himself up, but Stantz just shook his head and nudged him back into a prone position "You blacked out Peter, don't try to move right away.."

Peter glanced dizzily at Ray, then refocused on Spengler as he stepped closer to the bed "I'm right, aren't I? This can't...no, WON'T wait, will it?"

"That's true as far as my understanding goes, but it wont do your health any good-" Egon grudgingly agreed and tried to steer the conversation back to common sense as he saw it, but Peter only shook his head, wincing as the mere motion seemed to hurt him.

"Ah-! The longer this goes on, the more it's gonna drain my batteries. Eventually its gonna be the death of me if we don't do something, so if she can put a cap on it, then just dump me in the car and wake me when we get there."

Again, the others were surprised by how quickly and easily Peter had summed up the same conclusion. By himself and feverish as could be, he still seen right through it all.

Egon conceded he was right, but he wasn't in a fit state to move from that bed TONIGHT...

"OK, fine, we'll leave the day after tomorrow. Tonight, I'm calling the physician."

"I'm not even dead yet..!" Peter objected.

"Physician, Peter, not mortician." Egon shook his head. Ray chuckled and squeezed Peter's shoulder gently, Venkman's gaze falling back to him now.

"Hey," he said softly, so only Stantz would hear "you OK, Ray?"

Ray laughed softly, "I'M fine, Peter. It's YOU we're all worried about…"

* * *

The others filed out quietly, Janine and Egon went to see about the doctor, while Eugene and Winston went to go and make preparations to get the RV out of storage.

"I didn't know you guys HAD one of those!" Eugene remarked as he walked alongside Zeddemore, as they made their way to the warehouse were the larger items were kept.

"Yeah, Ray bought and fixed it up last year. We had to do a series of special request busts all across America, even into Europe too, so we needed something more longterm. Even if Peter drove us all nuts about the lack of space. In the end, we let him take Ecto-1 and follow behind us. It was either that or he drove us all crazy."

Eugene tried not to laugh, but the mental image was pretty funny. "I imagine Eeg was none too happy after a few days of that?"

Winston shook his head as he unlocked the security door "that's putting it mildly. If looks could kill, we'd have been stuffing Pete in the containment unit by day two. But you know Venkman, it all flies right over his head, he's perfected the art of obliviousness at will."

"Except when it's Ray."

Winston nodded, flinging the massive roll-up door open. "Except when it's Ray. EXACTLY. I don't think Ray knows the kind of power he has, being able to get Peter Venkman to shut up and behave himself for longer than 5 seconds."

* * *

Back at the firehouse, Ray was still fussing over Peter. He fetched him some water, wrapped him in extra blankets….basically anything he thought would help.

So when Peter seemed to be losing his voice, he naturally leaned in closer to hear him-

-smooch.

"Gotcha." Peter said weakly, closing his eyes and nuzzling his partners nose. Ray flushed, lips tingling from the kiss. Even stuck in bed, Peter still found a way to sneak in a quick gesture of affection…

His heart thudded anxiously at how hot to the touch Peter's skin was at this proximity. He felt Peter's fingers brush lightly across his neck, tangling in his hair. He chased his fear away so he could offer a comforting smile to Peter, returning the brief kiss from moments before.

"Is this ever gonna stop?" Peter asked wearily, exhausted eyes meeting Ray's. "i know its getting bad if Egon's willing to take the time to go to New Orleans."

"Peter…" Ray tried to think of a way to soothe his concern, but a flash of something in Peter's eyes told him he wasn't fooling anyone-

"Don't lie to me Ray, please…"

Ray braced a hand on the bed, their faces still mere inches apart. With his other hand, he brushed sweat-dampened strands of hair away from his partner's eyes.

"I'm not, I promise." He whispered "yes, it's getting worse. But that's why we're taking this trip, so we can find a way to stop this taking everything from you. We're not gonna let it make you sicker than it already has, and I for one refuse to let it cause any more hurt than it has."

"That's because you're adorable, Raymond." Peter whispered, something like a smile gracing his features as Ray's gentle hand stroked his hair. Ray smiled, even though he felt like crying, he hated feeling so useless when someone he cared about was in danger.

"It'll be alright, we'll make sure of it." He whispered, seeing Peter drifting asleep…

Peter managed one last smile before sleep swept over him again and he sank into a merciful darkness.

Once Ray was sure Peter was fully asleep, he carefully got up from his bed, heading for the main kitchen area. As he walked in, he heard the others down below and hurried to join them.

Winston gave him a list of things the RV needed before it was good to go and Ray nodded, saying he have it down by that evening.

* * *

Egon and Janine had managed to secure a doctors visit for later that evening. Ray looked ready to collapse in relief, so janine hugged him.

"He'll be better in no time," she said quietly "Ill even give it a weeks head start before I throw anything at him."

This caused a smatter of laughter, even Ray had to chuckle as he recalled how boisterous Peter usually was.

The doctor was concerned by Peter's low blood sugar, fatigue and fever. Egon fudged the truth as best he could, blaming it on an encounter with a ghost.

The doctor hooked the sleepy and disorientated Venkman up to a drip, warning Spengler if his condition worsened he was to bring him to a hospital asap. He left some medication with Egon, telling him the doses Venkman needed and advising against any strenuous activity. Egon assured him he would follow the instructions to a T, then wrote the cheque to cover the visit.

* * *

Peter was asleep again by the time Egon came back into the main bedroom. Ray was sat on his own bed, watching Peter with a deep-set look of worry on his face.

"You alright?" Egon asked as he set the bottles of tablets by Peter's bedside.

"I'm fine," Ray sighed "I just hate feeling so helpless. I don't wanna lose him, Egon, not after all this time."

"What do you mean?" Egon asked, handing Ray a bottled water he'd grabbed from the kitchen, since Stantz didn't seem inclined to move far from Peter. He'd shot through his list to make sure the RV was ready, returning to check on Venkman as soon as he was done. Winston was seeing to any final repairs, but thankfully the vehicle was still in good shape from its last trip.

Ray laughed, realising he'd let something slip there. "It's silly, but before I blanked out my memory in university, I-i had a total crush on him."

Egon tilted his head to one side "I must confess that I never expected you to say that, yet alone that you'd take such risks with your own mind."

Ray felt himself flush with embarrassment as Egon perched next to him on the bed.

"Well, I was too freaked out. I wasn't as outgoing as Peter was back then, yet alone as fearless. I thought if he found out he'd just NOPE right on outta there. So I found that book and eventually I was able to all but totally stop it from bothering me. I'd simply fabricate whatever stories it took to keep people of being suspicious as to why I never dated any girl for long.."

"That must have put a lot of strain on you." Egon said, frowning slightly. Ray winced as he flashed back to those days.

"At first, yeah, but before I knew it i'd developed a reputation as an eccentric and people seemed to stop wondering. It just because a part of me after that."

Egon nodded, then curiosity pushed him to ask "so, what broke the barrier? Ah, wait, you mentioned seeing Peter with that cult leader, didn't you?"

Ray went red again "y-yeah. I guess it kinda broke my brain a little, 'gon. He was so mad at me at first, I figured the whole mess in my head would calm down, but….nope. I couldn't very well say I was upset because I was jealous, he'd have gone berserk. Or laughed his sides off THEN gotten mad."

"I doubt it, he has always been protective of you, even if he makes it all but impossible to detect."

"I guess it was harder to deal with because it was ME that found out.." Ray said after a moments thought and Egon nodded.

"I feel like a total idiot.." Ray groaned, shaking his head at how he'd handled that whole thing.

"If it's any consolation, I very nearly destroyed things with Eugene at the start." Egon blurted at last, feeling briefly apprehensive. He'd never really talked about this, but of all people, he knew Ray was the most trustworthy.

"Y-you did?" Ray was surprised "what happened? I mean, you don't have to-"

"No, it's fine. It's something I have mulled over in the time since, a case study in how being too absorbed by my work can be bad." Egon said with a shrug. "Eugene was trying to tell me, but I kept blocking it out, never giving him a straight answer. The first time he kissed me I actually outright told him he should find someone better, then I shot out of the lab."

He sighed, stretching so his spine clicked back into place then sat forward with his elbows on his knees. "Eugene apologised the next day, but I told him it wasn't his fault, I shouldn't have acted the way I did. He smiled, but it wasn't a proper smile and then he left. I tried to distract myself from the pain in my stomach by scaling the bookshelf to get my old journals of medicine down, but then the ladder broke. I would've landed myself a concussion but for Eugene coming back that very second and catching me as best he could."

"Yikes." Ray said, eyebrows raised "I did wonder about that ladder sometimes. Then what happened?"

Egon smiled faintly, a smile that'd only appeared since Eugenes return. "I realised I was going to lose everything if I didn't start being honest with myself. So I told him I had been too hasty in the instances prior and, well; the rest is history."

Ray beamed, exuberantly hugging the introverted scientist, which startled him at first and made him go stiff as a board, but then he realised it was just Ray's way of saying "thats great!"

"You know," Egon said when Ray released him and sat back, still grinning ear to ear "I actually have Peter to thank for that."

"Really? How…?" Ray asked, bemused as to how Peter fitted into all this?

Egon chuckled dryly. "Eugene told me about it when you and Venkman left to get lunch after the tests. After he left my office that first time, Eugene was going to head home but instead ran into Peter. It seems Venkman had walked past the door and seen just enough to add it all up and come up with the right answer right off the bat. He told Eugene to go back and try again, said that I was just being stubborn and ignoring what I wanted. That was when he walked in and saved me from injuring myself."

Ray glanced from Egon across to the sleeping form of Venkman. He smiled softy, Peter really did have a heart of slightly tarnished gold under his wise cracking and buffoonery.

"I'm glad he did." Ray smiled at Egon "Eugene really cares about you."

"The night he vanished, he said he was going to tell me." Egon murmured, feeling an uncharacteristic heat warm his face "it must've been hard on him when I responded in such a harsh fashion. I just never treated affection as anything important, told myself I wasn't cut out for it, like other people are. I had grown accustomed to being viewed….differently."

He flashed back to hearing Eugene's friends, hearing their mocking laughter as they talked about the "ice prince on campus" and "the frigid freak.".

Ray sensed it was something from the past and simply nodded, musing-

"I guess we both got a bit of a surprise. Who'd expect someone special could be so close..?" He went pink "or that they'd go the same way-?"

"I admit it's not the sort of thing any algorithm of mine could narrow down. Humans are impossibly obscure at times."

"Yeah, but you love us really." Ray joked, making Egon glower at him.

"For the last time, I am NOT a space alien! Stupid Venkman." He cut off, realising that might've been a bit rude, but Ray just chuckled. He knew Peter could be a bit of a handful at times and being in love with him didn't totally excuse his shenanigans.

Peter winced in his sleep then, uttering a pained noise. Ray quickly sobered up, moving to check his temperature.

"Fever's down a little." He said as he sat back beside Egon.

"The drip should replace what he lost, or at least stabilise him. We'll find a solution, Ray."

"I know, I just want to get my hands on that a-hole father of his and throttle him!" Ray said balefully, hands clenching tightly. "what kind of parent does that to their own KID?!"

"Clearly the type that shouldn't be allowed to have kids in the first instance." Egon said quietly "He also had a mother who went to all lengths to protect him and keep him a secret, so at least he shares that side of his genetics."

Ray nodded, but after a moments pause, he blurted "I just wish we COULD erase that power. He hates it Egon, it took a miracle for me to convince him it didn't change how much he meant to me…"

"That morning with the pancakes." Egon nodded "I was surprised to see him leave the attic, let alone talk to us the way he did. Whatever you two discussed, it changed his mindset."

Ray blushed then, unsure how to say it'd all begun with his bedding Peter and talking hadn't factored into it, unless you counted whispered requests for more- Even the morning after had mostly consisted of comforting, snuggling and promising it'd be alright…

"Going by the look on your face, I'll keep any further questions to myself." Egon said dryly, snapping Ray out of his thoughts. He raised an eyebrow as poor Stantz could only turn even redder and facepalm quietly.

"Probably for the best." Ray squeaked at last, shaking his head in embarrassment. But a glance out of the corner of his eye showed Egon was smiling faintly and Ray felt a bit less flustered. Egon understood, if his explanation of him and Eugene was anything to go by.

"You…guessed, didn't you?" Egon said suddenly, feeling his curiosity peaking again "that first morning we met Alessa."

"I had a hunch," Ray said, smiling kindly "it was mostly in the way Eugene acted around you. He only had attention for YOU, even when Peter was being a smart-arse. Almost protective…"

Egon nodded silently, grateful for Ray's tact. Dealing with the fact he'd just made such a major change had been overwhelming enough for one day, he hadn't expected things would go so well after the awkward start he and Eugene had had, with Egon's guilt making him panic-

—But he didn't care, did he?— he thought, recalling Eugene with his legs crossed and eyebrows raised, pointing out there was a very real reason why he wasn't standing up!

He chuckled to himself before he could stop it, making Ray tilt his head curiously.

"Whats got YOU laughing?" He said smugly, almost mimicking Peter's grin as he ran through every idea he had-

"Nothing, I can assure you!" Egon folded his arms and attempted to glower Ray into deterrence. But he could see from the way Ray was grinning, that he had an idea…

"Peter's a bad influence on you." He grumped at last, making Ray let slip a loud snort of laughter.

"Hmnhh?"

They both froze, glancing guiltily at one another as Peter stirred. But all he did was curl onto his side now, his body tucked up as much as he could. Ray drew the blankets back up over him so he wouldn't catch cold and he and Egon left to let the sick man sleep.

* * *

"How's Venkman?" Eugene asked as Egon came to sit beside him on the couch. Ray had gone to his office to have a lie down, and give Peter some peace.

"Tired, fatigued- it's getting worse. As much as I hate to admit it, he's right, we DO need to get him to Madame Leveau's as soon as we can."

"You want me to help out here while you're gone?" Eugene asked and Egon blinked up at him, he'd totally forgotten about arranging cover for their absence. It made perfect sense, Janine had quite a bit of hands-on experience with the packs, so they'd be able to cover emergency cases together.

"That would be excellent, I hope it's not an inconvenience?"

"Nah, Dad'll be thrilled when I tell him. He really likes you Eeg. By the way, he TOTALLY knows about me being about as straight as the outside of a wheel."

Egon was caught between surprise that mr Visitor knew and laughing at the analogy. In the time he spent debating it, Eugene had wrapped him in his arms and kissed him. Egon sighed happily, almost feeling like he could melt into Eugene's embrace, it felt so good. One more kiss and it wasn't even a discussion any more, he was already pressing his body against Eugene's and returning the kiss with equal fervour.

"Mmm, I should make sure you're all set for your trip." Eugene purred, making Egon's heart race. Before he could speak, he was being carried to his office, Eugene managing to lock the door while still holding Egon in his arms.

* * *

He set him on his feet and kissed him deeply.

"We aren't leaving until the day after-" Egon began, but Eugene cut him off with the sort of kiss that made Egon's thought processes scatter to the wind.

"I know, but what is it you always say- it pays to be thorough?" Eugene teased, looking at Egon as if nothing mattered more then giving his precious doctor a good seeing to.

"I cannot argue with such logic," Egon said softly "one moment then, i want to make sure the alarms wont disturb us."

Egon reluctantly slipped free from Eugene's embrace, darting over to his desk even as his body objected strongly to his putting the pleasure on hold. A shudder of longing ran through him as he hurriedly flipped off the switches to the remote alarm relays.

He straightened up, feeling his back pressing against Eugene's firm chest. Those strong arms wrapped around him as Eugene kissed Egon's neck. Egon honestly thought he might collapse as one of Eugene's hands slipped up under his shirt and sweater, the other slipping down to teasingly cup him down there.

"Eugene..." Egon sighed happily, shivering in anticipation as those warm hands were slipping free from his clothing and he was picked up, sat gently atop the table.

Prior to now, Egon would've said a table was NOT the appropriate place for this, but before the words could even form, he was kissing Eugene with a fierce need he couldn't ignore. A need the man himself had awoken with just a few intimate touches. As he kissed him, Egon moved his hands down Eugene's sides, letting them rest at his belt for a moment before undoing it.

Going by the sounds Eugene was making as Egon kissed him, this was a very enjoyable course of action. Following his lover's example, Eugene skilfully unbuttoned Egon's shirt and his hands wandered down to ease Spengler's trousers and underwear off. Egon squirmed atop the table, helping free himself from the garments so they bunched up at his ankles.

"Where's-?" Eugene asked, and Egon knew what he was asking for.

"Bedside table, top drawer." He said softly, fidgeting as Eugene reluctantly left him to grab the tube. He bit his lip as the surge of desire returned, and it'd brought reinforcements by the feel of it, what was going on with him? Had talking to Ray about how he'd nearly lost all this only ramped up his already powerful longing?

Eugene stopped a moment to look at Egon as he turned back to him. Sweet merciful sanity he looked so cute like that, perched atop the table with his shirt unbuttoned and his once neatly pressed trousers puddled around his ankles.

Egon seen the dreamy lust in his partner's eyes and his heart slammed hard against his ribcage, what did Eugene see?

"This reminds me of that story you told me," Eugene whispered as he approached his lover, seeing Egon going all shy about how much of an effect he worked on Eugene's mind and body. He kissed Egon gently, listening to the eager moan Egon made, the faint fwumpf of his underwear falling to the floor, freeing him completely.

"Story?" Egon said absently as Eugene unscrewed the cap. He kissed Eugene's neck, feeling the fast beat of the man's pulse…

"Mm-hm, the one you told me that first night I got to make love to you…" Eugene murmured as he wrapped one arm around Egon's middle, holding him close as the other hand slipped between his partner's legs. His eyes met Egon curious grey ones, he looked so delectable "the one about you "testing" yourself that I said was incredibly hot- you told me you were sat on your bed half-undressed-"

Egon gasped softly as he felt warm, firm fingers push into him. His eyes never left Eugene's, caught up in this retelling of his own memories..

"- those talented fingers of yours just exploring, testing-"

Deeper now- Egon pressed into his hold and eagerly returned the quick, deep kiss.

"Yes, just…like this.."

His own voice surprised him as he pressed his hand against Eugene's, tangling their fingers together and guiding him in a way that was ever more reminiscent of those nights in his dorm room, exploring his own limits. This unexpected boldness made him feel almost light headed, but he liked it….

Eugene held him tightly as he and Egon teased and prepared the polymaths body- together, Soon, the tremors running through Egon became too much and he gave himself completely to Eugenes capable hands. Eugene was swiftly able to bring him over the edge, hearing Egon gasp his name sharply as the first, powerful climax hit him. He closed his eyes, focusing on that tsunami of pleasure as it came crashing down.

As Egon caught his breath, letting both hands rest at Eugene's shoulders now, he opened his eyes and-

"Your shirt!' He blurted, realising he'd uh, gotten some fluids splashed on it. Eugene chuckled, tilting Egon's chin up and kissing him lightly.

"It'll wash out, Eeg. Now…you ready for more?"

Egon kissed him by way of an answer, hearing paper flutter to the floor beneath the desk as Eugene laid him down, hands sliding down Egon's body to gently grasp his hips and lift him just enough…

It occurred to him later that they'd chosen the best table to do this on, it was a heavy, sturdy thing that barely creaked at all as they slipped into a hot, heavy rhythm. Egon gripped its edge, feeling the grain of wood pressing into his bare skin as Eugene took him. Strong hands gripped his slender legs, holding him positioned so that every thrust made Egon gasp his name…

Egon was faintly aware of more objects falling off the desk as they came, but it didn't matter right then. He'd clean it up later…

As the second orgasm faded, Egon rested back against the table, his own heavy breathing filling his ears. His heart raced so fast, every little touch was like a jolt of electricity..

"You amaze me, Eeg." Eugene murmured in his ear, making Egon lift his head to sleepily meet his eyes. He smiled and kissed Eugene, wishing he could bring HIS lover with him, but Janine couldn't be expected to handle the whole operation on her own.

Eugene gently pulled out, guiding Egon to a sitting position, then easing him onto the floor. Egon shivered as the cold floor met his feet, countering the sheer heat of Eugene's body as he pressed against him. He was just about to kiss him when he felt a certain sticky something trickle down the inside of his thighs and blushed, feeling suddenly awkward. He tried to free himself so he could surreptitiously wipe himself up- But in his usual fashion, Eugene didn't see a problem, just an adorable Eeg.

He held Egon's hands, asking him to let him "take care of it" before he guided Egon over to the bed and laid him down, telling him just lie back and let Eugene take care of everything…

Egon clutched handfuls of the covers as Eugene proceeded to clean up the overspill, slowly, TEASINGLY…

"Mmm, do you need more, my sweet Eeg?" Eugene asked as he admired the view before him. Egon flushed and biting his lip, but nodding. Spengler gave a happy little moan as his lovers tongue moved on to a certain part of his body, as the sensual clean-up had gotten the cute doctor all hot and bothered.

When Eugene finished, he sat back, licking his lips as he studied the gorgeous man laid out before him. He loved that look of utter satisfaction in Egon's eyes, how sexy he looked with his hair tousled and glasses slightly steamed up. He nuzzled Egon gently as he drew the covers up over them, imprinting the scent of the genius' body into his memory to occupy those days where his precious doctor would be off in New Orleans. Egon sighed happily, burrowing into his arms and murmuring his name softly…

* * *

Peter woke later that night, when everyone (bar Egon anyway) was already asleep in the other beds surrounding him. He seen the faint outline of his lover, curled up under the covers and clutching a stuffed toy dog. How adorable could one man be? He longed to drag himself across the distance and curl up in Ray's arms…

His head felt a bit less fuzzy compared to earlier and he soon realised the drip connected to his arm was most likely responsible for that. Ray had mentioned calling a doctor, hadn't he? Most of that evening was a haze of fever heat and small patches of relief in the form of dreamless sleeps. There was a glass of water on his bedside table, which he hungrily downed in just a few swigs as he sat himself up. He rested his head on his knees, letting out as quiet a sigh as he could so he didn't disturb the others and wondering if he'd ever feel normal again..?

A faint glow lit the room and Peter raised his eyes, seeing Alessa hovering before him.

"Hey…Sorry I charged through ya earlier," Peter said weakly "I read somewhere that's very rude to a ghost."

"It matters not. You weren't feeling well." She looked kindly at him "I shall remain here and look after the remaining two while you're all away, if thats acceptable?"

"Yeah, sure. They'd appreciate the company..." Peter closed his eyes, flopping back against the pillow now, feeling drowsy again "thanks."

She watched him, then relaxed as she realised he'd fallen back to sleep.

"Good luck." she said softly as she set a kindly hand on his forehead "I cannot help but foresee you'll need it. Yet you're stronger then you think you are."

* * *

Peter woke to an empty room, his fever much better. The room didn't seem to be spinning, so that was a bonus bit of progress. The next thing he realised was that it was very quiet in the building, he couldn't hear the usual cacophony that the average day contained. The others were obviously out- that or they were keeping quiet so his headache didn't get a headache?

Right as he thought this, the bedroom door opened and Ray came in. Seeing Peter was awake, his face lit up with relief and he all but ran to the bedside. He perched on the edge of the bed and nuzzled Peter's hair with a happy noise.

"Ray.." Peter said softly, grasping his hand and urging him to fully lie down on the bed beside him.

"Hey you," Ray said, gently aligning his body with Peter's and draping his arms around him. Peter snuggled as close to him as he could without disturbing the IV thing that was presumably helping him feel less like crap, while breathing in the scent of Ray's skin and the solid warmth of his body. Ray kissed him gently, making Peter sigh happily, it was worth being stuck in bed if it meant attention from Ray…

He kissed him back, relishing the sweetness of those lips as he traced Ray's side with his fingers.

"What's going on?" he asked Stantz, drawing back to study his expression after the third kiss. Ray smiled softly, taking in his bed-bound partner.

"We're getting ready to go, Egon's outfitting the RV again so we can just head direct for New Orleans. We're bringing the drip with us, Winston picked up another refill for it from the hospital this morning. Oh-! The doctor advised you not get too much exercise or wear yourself out, so-" he stroked Peter's cheek gently, smiling softly "you need to stay put, no wandering about."

"Damn, that's every plan I had for you down the tube then." Peter grumped, making Ray blush and lose track of what he was supposed to be telling Peter as he thought about the kind of plans Peter often came up with.

"When you're better." He promised at last, once he'd recovered his wits and received a kiss for his efforts. Peter sighed when they parted, nestling his face in the curve of Ray's neck.

"How're you feeling?" Ray asked now, gently rubbing his back, relieved to feel Peter's skin temperature was back to something more normal now.

"Ehh, tired?" Peter shrugged listlessly, still tracing patterns on Ray's skin through his shirt "feel kinda weird to be honest. My head hurts a little."

"Don't worry Peter, we're going to find a way to help you." Ray assured him, kissing his forehead gently. Peter smiled, feeling safe and happy, he had his Raymond and for the moment it was all that mattered. He was about to drift asleep when Ray nuzzled his nose and urged him awake again.

"I almost forgot- Egon said you need to take some tablets, the doctor prescribed them. I know you're exhausted, but the medicine will help." Ray murmured, hating to disturb him or even release him from his hold. Being able to physically hold Venkman at least made Ray feel like he was doing something to help the man he loved.

Peter allowed himself to be kept from sleep long enough to down the meds with a glass of water. Ray tucked him up in the blankets again and Peter asked him to stay a little longer..please? Having gotten a taste of sleeping next to his partner, he didn't want to be alone. Even though he was supposedly to be helping with the RV, Ray couldn't say no to that familiar pout and curled up on his side next to the bundled-up Venkman, speaking softly to him until Peter drifted asleep again. He was starting to get drowsy himself by that point and vowed he'd just close his eyes for a second-

He snapped awake a few minutes later and tried to galvanise himself by re-tucking the blankets around Peter, but it was only a momentary delay before his worry-addled mind gave in to the temptation of sleep…

* * *

That was how Winston found them; Peter cozily wrapped in blankets and Ray snoozing atop the covers next to him, with one arm draped protectively over Peter's body. They looked so peaceful he decided not to wake Ray and silently crept back out. Although not before taking a photo on his phone to annoy Peter with if he ever teased him about Tiyah…

"We almost set?" he asked as he entered the RV, seeing Egon working on the portable containment unit built into the vehicle.

"Just a few last diagnostics to run." Egon said, pushing his goggles up off his face and frowning as he noticed Winston had come back alone "Where's Ray?"

"Taking his task VERY seriously." Winston chuckled as he told Spengler about how he'd found Ray snoozing atop Peter's bed, he'd obviously gone to make sure he took his meds and decided to keep him company until he fell asleep. Egon smiled faintly as he walked over to the coffee machine.

"I would never have matched them in such a manner, yet this is the happiest I've seen Peter, Ray too."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, Egon. But I really think Ray can prove to Pete that the worlds not to be given up on."

Egon nodded, putting his toolkits away. "Ray's always cared about him on a subtle level, I guess it makes sense it'd evolve beyond that eventually."

* * *

That night, Egon and Eugene once again retired to Egon's office to spend the night together before they were separated. Egon had subconsciously dressed in similar clothing to his university days, as Eugene had seemed SO very turned on by the recollections they'd shared last night…

When his alarm went off the next morning, Egon grumbled at it and tried to ignore it, burrowing back into Eugene's arms. Eugene had gone all out last night, lips and fingertips touching and caressing every sensitive part of Egon's body- which was most of it, to be honest. He'd more then fulfilled his promise, that being to "give him a night he wouldn't forget for a week."

"Mm, you're very adorable Eeg, but you're needed downstairs." Eugene murmured, kissing Spengler's neck and nibbling lightly on the skin. Egon groaned, a shiver running down his spine and waking him up properly. He reluctantly took a shower and got dressed, with Eugene not far behind him.

"We shouldn't be away too long- I mean…" Egon flushed "I-I don't want to be away for long."

"It'll be fine, Janine and I will manage while you boys are away. Just take care, OK?"

Egon nodded as he finished buttoning his shirt, and Eugene stepped on to plant a kiss on his lips.

"I will." He whispered, snaring another kiss before they reluctantly finished getting dressed and headed downstairs.

* * *

"You took your time, Egon." Winston joked and Peter arched an eyebrow at Eugene. Who suddenly couldn't meet his eye, staring very intently at the ceiling.

"Goodness, what were you to up to all nig-"

"Venkman-!" Egon snapped "not one more word out of you."

Venkman pouted, but finally shrugged and fell silent. He leaned back so he was resting against Ray's shoulder, causing Ray's attention span to short out. Egon sighed and rubbed his forehead, but soon got back to business in outlining their trip. So he missed Janine tilting her head to one side, a knowing grin on her face. Eugene seen it, seen her raise an eyebrow as if to say "you've been rumbled".

They piled the proton packs into the RV, along with other bits of equipment Egon had guessed they might need. While Winston set the IV line and connected it to its oddly subdued patient, Egon went back out to speak with Eugene and Janine one more time.

"Don't forget, Ray's modded the phones, so you should be able to call regardless of reception in the area. Tell Peck to deal with me or Winston if he gets a particularly large bee up his butt, to borrow one of Peter's many phrases."

"We'll be fine," Janine hugged him goodbye "I've had experience with his worship before and this guy here is apparently catching up to the rest of you when it comes to a proton pack."

"Years of sports finally pays off." Eugene joked and Egon smiled at him, hating to leave the two of them alone like this.

"Don't worry about it," Eugene told him "we'll be fine. The others need your expertise with this, especially Dr Venkman. Just shoot us an update if anything happens and don't forget to visit at least ONE bar in New Orleans, I've seen some seriously cool documentaries about that place!"

Egon nodded and was just about to open the door when he heard Eugene's footsteps behind him. He turned, asking had he forgotten to tell him something?

"No. Just one final reminder for ME." Eugene said huskily, then pulled Egon against him and kissed the man passionately. Egon's heart nearly stopped, Janine was right there- but he was already pressing back into the kiss, hands braced against Eugene's chest as time seemed to stop to allow them this precious moment. They parted at last and Eugene winked at him "off you go, Eeg. Take care, alright?"

Egon nodded, fiddling with the cuff of one sleeve as he opened the door. He glanced back, unable to refrain from wondering how that must've looked to Janine.

She caught his eye and to his surprise, gave him a big grin and winked. Somehow understanding that meant she was all for the two of them, he shot her a grateful nod and shot out the door.

* * *

"Well then, let's get started." Janine said as Eugene turned away from the door and the sound of the RV faded.

"On what? Paperwork? Lunch?" He asked cluelessly. Janine shook her head, a cheeky grin making its way onto her face.

"Noo, you're going to tell me a story; namely the one of how you came to snag Egon. I want ALL the juicy details."

"Guess I kinda gave the game away back there, huh?" Eugene felt himself flush, yet also seeing a trace of melancholy behind her teasing "you…really liked him, didn't you? I'd have expected you to be more angry at me, to be honest."

Janine chuckled "you're good, kid. Yeah, you're right; I had a thing for Egon for the longest time, he was just so…unique and handsome to boot. Although he's never been distant or rude to me, in fact he's always been a perfect gentleman, I just got the feeling I wasn't what he wanted."

"I'm not sure Eeg knew what he wanted at first, he was like a cat on a hot tin roof for a while. Jumped a mile in the air every time I came near him. Well, that and that one time Peter dropped an ice cube down the back of his shirt…" Eugene mused.

"That man, honestly, sometimes I swear he never grew up." Janine rolled her eyes, then paused " but then I see him acting NOT like an idiot around dr Stantz and- Dah, I give up!"

Eugene chuckled as he perched on the edge of her desk. "He's a mystery…"

"Anyway, focus. You and Egon, spill." Janine teased.

"I nearly kinda fumbled it at first, in fact I honestly thought I had screwed up entirely and attempted a butchered apology before legging it. I explained to Egon about the whole "i think you're gorgeous, even if it's kinda late to tell you" thing and he looked like someone just told him science wasn't real. I think it was too much for him, especially since he blamed himself for my disappearance that night."

"Why would he blame himself for that? What happened was an accident, right?" Janine asked "you just happened to see a spirit of death and outfox it. While years passed on our side. How is that his fault?"

"He felt bad for being the only one there when it happened, I think he believed if I'd been hanging out with my "actual" friends, they'd have been able to save me. I told him that was nonsense, but it was obvious he hated not being able to solve the matter. What he did do really helped my dad while I was gone; he's grown very fond of Egon."

Janine wanted to hug him right then, it was a sad story after all. And poor Dr Spengler, carrying the burden of guilt by his own choice, because he wanted to get his friend back.

"I tried to talk to him, but I think I scared him when I uh, told him I liked him and then kissed him. I thought he was, y'know, OK with things, but then he suddenly panics and babbles about being incapable of understanding any of it and the next thing I know he's gone. I tried talking to him, but it was awkward as all get out, so I figured I'd cut my losses and leave him alone. Hopefully, he wouldn't hate me, y'know? That was when dr Venkman scared the daylights outta me by suddenly appearing from out of thin air somewhere behind me and saying "he's lying."

Janine arched an eyebrow "wait, Peter's involved with this?"

Eugene chuckled, flushing faintly "Yep. It's actually thanks to him things are as good as they are."

"This I have to hear." Janine arched one eyebrow whilst trying to imagine Peter somehow bringing a sheltered polymath and a long lost friend together. WITHOUT embarrassing both parties for his own amusement, that is.

"Well, I chickened and tried to run, but he pulled me into the kitchen and basically sussed out the whole situation, all from having seen just one glimpse as he walked past the door."

"Yeah, he scares me sometimes with how astute he is." Janine shook her head, then nudged Eugene to continue.

Eugene flushed and ran a hand through his hair "Well, he all but tows me back to the office, shoves me in the direction of the door and bluntly tells me to 'come out with it.' So I went back in and everything I was preparing in my head- it just vacated it when I seen Egon about to fall from the bookshelf. The ladder had broken, and I was just able to catch him before he injured himself. It was mental, he was right in my lap and I don't know what to say to him."

"That's quite the romantic rescue." Janine teased, making Eugene flush again, but he looked happy..

"It was amazing and disheartening at the same time, since I thought he still disliked me on some level. But, even as I tried to say I was sorry again, he seemed to reach his own conclusion and HE kissed ME."

"Daww." Janine said, patting his arm "that's adorable. I guess doctor Spengler was just a little gun-shy about letting someone get close."

"Thats part of why he panicked, he explained, he wasn't sure he understood the process and didn't want to mess it up. I told him I hadn't planned beyond telling him and hoping he didn't kick me out of his life! I figured we'd work it out as we went along…and that's pretty much everything."

"That's about the cutest thing I've ever heard. I'm glad he's happy." Janine smiled kindly "I often wondered if having some more romantic companionship might help him, but he never seemed to react to anyone who flirted with him! He was more in love with his work from what I could see."

"Hey, I wasn't sure I stood a chance either, but here we are." Eugene chuckled "Honestly? If Venkman hadn't seen right through me, I would've just run off and probably never been able to speak to Eeg for fear of him hating me!"

"Oh trust me, if I'D found out, I'd have given him a right proper scolding and forcefully dragged him to your house to sort things out." Janine huffed, earning a chuckle from Eugene.

"I'm glad you're OK with this whole thing, I kinda knew you cared a lot for him from day one."

"I'll admit I was and still am a little, jealous. Egon's gorgeous, no question. He's been so much more relaxed since you arrived, this explains why he was becoming so much more outgoing, compared to his usual introverted responses."

"Yeah, he's calmed down a little since the initial get together. Also, dr Stantz managed to stop Peter from relentlessly teasing Eeg, that helped a lot. I DO have one question Janine," Eugene had to ask "how did you guess-?"

"About you two? Well, the first giveaway was that adorable nickname. Egon gets huffy if anyone calls him anything other than his proper name, not even Peter can try it without getting the look of death. But you're running around calling him "Eeg," and he's not batting an eyelid. That's when I guessed you we're something special to him. But, I didn't know for sure until Alessa accidentally revealed how she'd come to be here and the rest was just maths."

Eugene nodded, that made sense.

"Just when I thought I'd had the biggest surprise of my working life- I later find out about Ray and Peter." Janine sat back in her chair.

"I was a little surprised myself, Venkman hides things uncannily well, so I never guessed they were THAT kind of close until Egon told me. I came round and heard the news about the kidnapping, about how worried dr Stantz was. I could see the damage Egon referred to when he abruptly showed up at the firehouse that day."

He recalled Peter being a faint shadow of himself "Eeg was spending so much time trying to find a way to help, that Winston legit calls me up and insists I abscond with Eeg for a day, before the guy wore himself out searching for an answer."

"So THAT'S where he went, makes sense." Janine nodded "he does get a little too into his work, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he's painfully smart, is Egon. But Dr Venkman seems back to normal, or at least he seems happier. Im guess dr Stantz finally got to sit him down and talk, huh?"

"That or he hugged him into submission." Janine shook her head with a fond smile "Ray's always been close to him. No matter how much trouble Peter causes, Ray never gives up on him. Sooner or later I'm gonna find me a man who'll do that and more…"

"He can't hide forever." Eugene joked and Janine grinned knowingly at him.

* * *

While they talked….

* * *

Egon had bounded onto the Rv, shutting the door and feeling the engine start up as the big vehicle pulled away. He passed by the kitchen, where Peter's eagle eye dint miss a beat and he called out;

"You're red as a tomato, Spengs."

Egon swore in an ancient language and Peter giggled to himself. Ray sighed, a vocal reprimand that made Peter sulk briefly, but he soon gave up being cross and settled for a kiss from Ray instead.

When Egon sat himself down in the passenger seat, Winston did a double-take too.

"Why is your face so red, my man?"

"It is NOT." Egon glowered childishly at him, which made Winston crack up laughing.

"Alright, alright, I'll just blame Eugene and leave it at that. Cool?"

"Thank you." Egon replied sarcastically, glowering at the instruments on the dashboard now. But he soon felt himself calm down and sighed softly, letting himself relax against the padded seating as a faint smile toyed at his lips.

* * *

Peter was busy being the focus of his sweet young mans attention. Right that moment, he was demolishing a plate full of pancakes Ray had just made him on the RVs stove. The man himself was sat beside him, the warmth of him almost as delightful as his cooking.

The copy of Spates catalogue that'd grown the extra page was open before him and Peter found himself staring at the half-complete magic circle he'd somehow dredged up from his memory. He shuddered suddenly, he hated that book, he decided.

"What do you think is, Ray?" He asked as Ray turned those gentle eyes on him, concern regarding the shivering written all over his face. Peter leaned against his lover as Ray slipped an arm around him and rubbed his back.

"I'm not sure, Peter, I've never seen anything like this. While it's true we've seen demons and spirits using magic of their own, so to speak, we've never directly encountered it this way. All Egon and I can do is go through the entries in the database and see if anything reads as similar to your case."

"Okayy…" Peter sighed theatrically, closing his eyes and just enjoying the warm that was Raymond. After a few minutes, Ray ushered him to the beds at the back of the RV and Peter curled up on the bottom one and fell asleep in seconds. Ray smiled, tucking him up in the covers and kissing him on the forehead.

"We'll find a way Peter, I promise." He said softly, hating to see the normally vibrant and relentless spirit of his best friend being treated this way. Checking his watch, he figured the should go take his turn driving, Winston had been at it for awhile now…

* * *

Peter blinked, bolted awake by what? he didn't know. He was curled up on a cold, hard patch of ground and light seemed to seep from all around him, highlighting where he sat. He uncurled himself from the ground, clearing his throat;

"Ray? You here? Egon? Winston?" But his voice was just swallowed up in the darkness.

Just as he was about to panic, something began to glow in the endless dark ahead of him. As he stood there, he seen the same partially-complete magic circle that was in Spates, assembling before his eyes.

But it didn't stop there.

As he gawked at it in bewildered shock, the centre part began filling itself in, more intricate writing he hadn't a hope of reading or understanding filling in the blanks. Then it stopped, almost two thirds finished. It pulsed faintly, as if awaiting some input from HIM.

Peter stared, only capable of shaking his head in confusion.

"I don't understand." He cried to the void around him "what is this thing? Why is this in my head?"

But there was no answer and Peter felt his shoulders slump as he reached out a hand to touch the markings- maybe that would tell him something?

He bolted awake in the real world this time, with a desperate and muted gasp, falling out of the bed and staggering to his feet.

—It must be finished..— a voice whispered, but it wasn't that same voice from his nightmares. This one was female. It soothed this aching head and begged him to find the book.

—I'm here with you..— it promised and Peter felt strangely at ease, like he knew the voice…

So he willingly settled into that strange autopilot he'd been on during his interactions with Spates before. He didn't even notice when he pulled free from the drip, it barely registered in the cotton-like daze he was wrapped in.

* * *

He strode into the seating/kitchen area, seeing the book still lay on the table where he and Ray had abandoned it. Egon was sat across from it, demolishing a box of cheese crackers. He made a noise like "mmmf-ff?" That was presumably a question of some kind- but Peter didn't respond. He instead swiped Egon's pen and sat down in front of the book. Egon stared at him incredulously, still with a mouthful of food, like a perplexed hamster. Had Peter been in his usual frame of mind, he'd have laughed his ass off. But he was entirely fixated on the task at hand.

Egon frowned, reaching out to grab his pen back when he seen just what Venkman was doing. The man silently opened Spates to the exact page the incomplete circle was on and without hesitation began filling part of it in with the pen.

-What's he doing?— Egon thought, watching the circle gain further detail as Peter silently worked. He waved a hand in Venkman's face, but he may as well have been invisible for all the reaction he showed. At last, Peter set the pen down, staring blankly at the page. Then his eyes fluttered closed and he would've crumpled to the floor had Egon not swiftly leaned across to grab his shoulders and steady him.

"Peter? PETER." He said sharply, wondering if he should call for Ray, was Peter ill-?

But right that moment, Peter stirred, slowly opening his eyes.

* * *

His head felt at LEAST 17 different kinds of weird, which was oddly precise for him. Normally he could sum up his mental state with various four-letter words. That was when he noticed he was being propped up by somebody and he raised his head, blinking fuzzily at a familiar face.

"'Gon?" He mumbled drowsily "what're you doin' in here? Wait, where is here? Why is this NOT bed?"

Egon waited until he was sure Peter wasn't going to give in to gravity and topple over, then sat back in his seat.

"To give an exact description; you came in here in a hurry, grabbed my pen and began drawing in the book. Then you snapped out of it and nearly encountered the floor."

Peter blinked at him, then down at the book in front of him.

"Dah!" He yelped, instinctively shoving the book away from him, towards Egon. He reminded Egon of a cat, the way he arched his back as if trying to claw his way free from the seating "Why did you bring that thing, Egon? It's crazy!"

"Because it's rare for a book to somehow tap into secrets hidden in a human mind. Also, its the only lead we have and I need to show it to Madame LeVeau. I can't stop it from reaching out to you, Peter. Sorry, but I just don't know enough to put a block in place."

Peter sighed, folding his arms and resting his head atop them so only his tired dark brown eyes could be seen, glowering at the book.

"I'd advise you go to bed," Egon began to lecture him, closing his eyes and yawning briefly before opening his eyes and reaching for the pen Peter had grabbed. "I'm sure Ray can be persuaded to escort you back there if you ask nicely-?"

A muffled snore answered him and he blinked, glancing across at Venkman.

—Seriously, he's asleep already?— Egon scratched his head with the pen, unsure what else to do.

He sat there, hovering between poking Venkman awake with the pen or calling Ray, when Winston came in. Egon could only assume they'd played "Chinese fire drill" with the drivers seat at some long-stay traffic light, not the safest of methods if you asked him.

Winston opened his mouth to ask where the coffee was when he spotted the snoozing Peter, and raised an eyebrow at Egon.

"The book did it again," Egon said "He came out here suddenly, didn't say a word and drew this bit of the circle." He tapped the biro markings on the Spates page "then he just…fell asleep."

"Huh." Winston said, peering at the circle "does it make any further sense?"

"Sadly, no. Although I do recognise some of the smaller markings, it's still incomplete. Like an anecdote without context, I cannot figure it out with pieces still missing like this."

"Dang." Winston studied Peter a moment "normally i'd leave him, given he's such a grump when he wakes up. But sleeping sitting up wont do him any favours and we cant be sure he wont suffer another collapse like last time."

"Best not to take any chances, I suppose." Egon mused, then leaned across and jabbed Peter with the pen. Venkman groaned and murmured something neither could understand. Another poke and he bolted awake this time.

"Huh? What?!" He asked blearily, blinking at the two "what'd I miss?"

"The bed." Winston snorted "go lie down already."

"Ugh, I'm bored of sleeping," Peter groaned as he wobbled to his feet with a sigh.

"Too bad," Winston said, all but pushing him towards the sleeping area "gotta reattach that drip too."

"Urgh.." Peter whined, but did manage to stay still long enough for Winston to do his job. That done, he curled up again and fell asleep in seconds, despite his claims of boredom.

* * *

Later on, they pulled into a rest stop to get some supplies, with Ray grabbing whatever junk food and drink he imagined Peter needed.

When he entered the sleeping area, Peter was awake but still curled up under the covers.

"Hey," Ray said and Peter perked up instantly, sitting up and tugging Ray's sleeve so he would come sit with him. Ray set the bag containing the take out on the floor by his feet and just as well, for Peter's appetite was more pressingly concerned with his heart, not his stomach. He kissed Ray, slipping his arms around him as he did. Ray couldn't refuse him, so happily kissed Venkman back, running his fingers through the man's hair, down his spine and finally letting them settle on his hips.

"Hungry?" Ray said with a smile, indicating the bag as they parted. Peter looked cute like that, hair all tousled and shirt rumpled up just enough to show a glimpse of bare skin. Peter gave him a "and not just for food." smile that made Ray blush brightly, then he nodded, settling back against the headboard of the compact bed. Ray settled himself so he was sat opposite and unpacked the contents of the bag.

He was relieved to see Peter was eating properly, his appetite seemed to be growing back.

"I.." Peter made it halfway through the contents of the meal before he cleared his throat then continued "I had another run-in with that book, Ray."

"I know, Egon told me, he showed me the new piece you added." Ray assured him, letting one hand rest atop Peter's. Venkman squeezed it gratefully, unsure what else to say. Was he losing it?

"I know it probably feels like you're going crazy right now," Ray whispered softly, startling Peter by hitting the nail so precisely on the head "but you're not, I promise. We'll be here when you wake up from those 'sleepwalking' incidents. Let us worry about deciphering them, you just need to sleep and stay in bed. Be as lazy as you like!"

Peter chuckled, loving Ray for the way he made everything sound so cute. He leaned forward, tangling his fingers in Ray's hair and kissing him lightly.

"Alright, since you put it so nicely." He purred as he let his lover go, seeing the relief and happiness in Ray's eyes that made him want to everything he could to justify the man's faith in him. He polished off the remaining food quickly, drowsiness sneaking up on him as the food warmed him. Ray made sure he was comfortable then sat on the floor with his back against the side of the bed, talking until Peter's replies trailed off into silence. Ray kissed his forehead, checked the drip, then went to throw the empty wrappers away.

* * *

"Pete OK?" Winston asked, with Egon having taken over driving now. Ray nodded, putting the rubbish into the bin and managing a small smile.

"Yeah, he seems a little more energised, he should be Ok to move around by the time we get to the hotel tonight."

Due to New Orleans being a 19 hour drive on a good day, they were taking it in two long bursts, staying at a hotel in-between.

"That's good, seems Egon was right and that little return to work taxed him a little too much with regards to that magic of his."

"Feels strange calling it magic, doesn't it?" Ray said after a moments thought "its a pretty generic term, but its the best one for it, I suppose."

"I bet I can guess what Pete would call it if we left it up to him." Winston snorted, and Ray chuckled softly.

"F-?" He suggested.

"Probably, or-" from there they began suggesting crasser and crasser terms Peter likely referred to his unwanted ability as.

"Hm, I like that last one." A sleepy but amused voice spoke from behind Ray, who let out a startled yelp and whipped round. On seeing a sleepy, bed-headed Peter Venkman standing behind him, he relaxed.

"Peter?!" He wheezed as he shook his head "you scared me!"

Winston frowned at Venkman as the sleepy doctor watched Ray "what're you doing up?"

Peter blinked sleepily, gaze slipping from one to the other and looking bizarrely confused.

"Don't you ever need to pee?" He asked at last, then shook his head and stumbled towards the bathroom.

Ray facepalmed and Winston snickered.

"Even half-asleep he can still get the drop on us. That takes skill, man." Winston laughed.

Peter emerged a few minutes later, mumbled something about being bored and snagged Ray's shirt collar. Even after spending most of the day in bed, he was still strong enough to tow Ray behind him. Ray flushed, hearing Winston snickering smugly at Peter's single-minded determination.

"Try to keep your clothes on!" He teased, resulting in Peter flipping him off without even looking back and Ray turning beet red and glowering at Winston.

"I make no promises." Peter winked to Ray once they were out of sight, making him blush.

* * *

All jokes aside, Ray was more then happy to curl up with Peter in his arms, talking about whatever crossed their minds. Mostly they just shared sweet, lazy kisses with Peter all but sitting in Ray's lap by the end of said kisses.

"Ray?" Peter murmured cozily as he rested against his lover's chest.

"Mm?"

"When this is all over…I'm taking you out for a date. Or three. Three seems fair.." Venkman rambled, yawning at the end of his sentence. Ray chuckled softly, kissing his forehead.

"You don't have to do that, Peter-"

"Yeah I do." Peter countered "you…you deserve it, cutie."

Ray's heart thudded happily and he kissed Peter on the lips softly as Peter turned those hopeful eyes on him "alright then, if it makes you happy."

Peter smiled, sitting himself up and leaning in for another kiss-

"Well, you're still dressed, my eyeballs need not melt." Winston's voice made them both halt as they looked around for the man himself, before realising he was still on the other side of the door.

"I'm right, aren't I? Please tell me I'm right…"

Peter snickered, an evil grin making its way across his face as he prepared to get his revenge.

"I'd love to but- huh, how'd those trousers get over there-?!"

"Agh! Peter!" Ray squawked, trying to hit him with a pillow he'd been using as support for his back "will you cut that out? He's JOKING, Winston!"

Winston stuck his head into the room, seen Ray trying to hit Peter with the pillow and Peter darting away with an impish grin. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"If you two are done being goofy, we're gonna be at the hotel in a few, so grab what you need for the night."

Ray opened his mouth to ask if they were bringing the Proton packs or were they leaving them in the RV- when strong arms hooked around his middle and he felt Peter press against his back.

"Ok, I'm all set." Peter snickered smugly.

"Peter! Be serious?!" Ray bleated, which made Peter giggle evilly.

"Yeah, good luck with that Ray." Winston said as he left them to their shenanigans. In reality though, he was glad to see Peter feeling better, it was obviously his way of coping with the madness surrounding him.

* * *

"What was all that racket?" Egon asked "or do I even need to ask?"

"Probably not," Winston reclined in the passenger seat with a grin "Pete's making Ray go red as a tomato and being a smug little whatsit."

"He's definitely feeling better then." Egon said dryly.

* * *

When they got to the hotel, they had to split off into two rooms, each with two single beds and the usual facilities. Naturally, Ray and Peter were bunking together, what else?

Egon stepped outside to call his partner, heart pounding as Eugene said how much he missed him, he couldn't wait to see him come home…

"I miss you already, Eeg." Eugene murmured.

"I miss you too," Egon said, heart jumping briefly at saying something so personal over the phone. Yet, he rather liked it…they spoke awhile longer, with Egon feeling the absence a little less. He still found himself missing the warmth of Eugene as he shut the door behind him...

"They doing OK?" Winston asked when Egon returned, phone in hand and expression oddly content.

"Quiet well, yes. Thankfully, today has been quiet. Hopefully nothing big will go off until we get back…"

"We can hope, my man, we can hope." Winston said and Egon nodded. Rarely were they ever that lucky.

* * *

While those two were getting ready to sleep, Ray and Peter had other plans…

As Ray was getting undressed, Peter came to stand behind him, resting his chin on Ray's shoulder and nuzzling his neck. Ray jumped slightly, Peter was near soundless when he moved….

"P-peter?" Ray whispered now, heart racing with the temptation. He was so close and so WARM…

The IV had been disconnected for the night, left safely stored away in the RV. Peter seemed much stronger now…much more himself.

"You're not gonna leave me to sleep alone, are you?" Peter asked huskily "the bed felt FAR too empty the whole drive here."

Ray turned to face him then, hands pressing against Venkman's sides.

"Of course not, I'm not leaving, remember?" he whispered, kissing the older man and seeing him smile softly as he stepped back from Ray, tangling their hands together and leading him to the closest bed in the room. Without a word, they snuggled up together atop the sheets, taking the privacy they had to indulge in hot, heavy kisses and let their hands roam one another's bodies.

Peter was therefore surprised when Ray yelped and stammered incoherently when he slipped his hands below the mans underwear.

"Ray?" Peter asked, a little confused at being rebuffed. Ray flushed and kissed him in apology as he sat up.

"Sorry, it's- I shouldn't be taxing you, even though I-i…." He cut off, facepalming and blurting out the truth "I want to go against every rule the doctor set and let you do everything you're thinking of."

Peter raised an eyebrow, was that an invitation?

"But I'm worried it may strain you too much.." Ray finished sadly. Peter thought a moment, then grinned and kissed Ray hotly, a solution forming in his mind.

"Well, I'm sure it'll use a lot less if I let YOU take the lead. It worked just perfectly that night in the attic, did it not?"

Ray felt about to explode from how enticing Peter was. "W-we don't have the…y'know" He trailed off, Peter's expression suddenly registering "…you brought it with you, didn't you?"

"Duh, cutie." Peter winked "as if I wouldn't try to find a time and place to whisk you off to bed and hold you captive until you're completely spent. Silly, you know how irresistible you are…"

This compliment swayed Ray's already frail willpower, he could feel his body stirring with every kiss, every touch of Peter's gentle hands as they trailed down his back. The urge ramped up to 10 when Peter slid onto his lap, prompting Ray to instinctively set his hands at Venkman's hips…

"I miss you, Ray.." Peter whispered as he pressed against Ray's chest, tracing his fingers along his collarbone "you're the one thing that lets me feel normal."

Peter's face was mere inches from his, those deep brown eyes catching the lamplight to shine faintly. His lips were parted, hair falling over his forehead…

"I need you." Peter spoke softly, yet the words somehow drowned out the frantic pounding of Ray's heart. "Please, Raymond?"

Love trumped the doctors orders and Ray kissed Peter hungrily.

"Yes, a million times yes." He whispered as they parted, earning a kiss from Peter that left him near breathless, then the other was reluctantly sliding off his lap and reaching for his bag. He sat himself back up, leaning into Ray's embrace and pressing the tube into his hand.

"Let's forget about the rest of the world, it's just us tonight.."

Ray's eyes settled on the necklace as he gently laid Venkman down, and Peter smiled knowingly, kissing Ray and whispering in his ear;

"Don't you want it to be the only thing I'm wearing, sweet Raymond?"

Ray's response was to slip Peter's shirt off over his head and kiss him firmly. He heard Peter groan urgently, arching his back to press into the kisses Ray left as he blazed a trail from his throat to his stomach. Each little kiss was like a shock to his system, one he enjoyed greatly.

Ray ceased his dizzying affections for a moment as he expertly opened the tube Peter had handed him. Feeling the slick liquid coating his fingers, his heart pounded. That night in the attic, he'd never imagined he could be so bold…but hearing Peter call his name, there was nothing quite like it.

But there no sensation of nerves now as he kissed Peter, slick fingers caressing the man briefly before plunging into him. Peter's arms wrapped around his shoulder as Ray leaned in to kiss him while he worked. Ray was half aware of his lovers body as he worked him, half aware of his OWN longing.

Peter loved Ray more then he could explain in that moment, as Ray's fingers explored him, readying him for the sweetest act. That feeling of innocence Ray created, it was just as amazing as it been in the attic, more so now with Ray's increased confidence. Their eyes met as Ray stilled now, leaving a teasingly arousing heartbeat before setting BOTH hands on the bed, looking down at his partner. Peter pressed up against Ray's body, slid his hands down as the other knelt over him, cupping and squeezing that nice firm rear as he nipped at Ray's weak spot. When combining this with having his ear nibbled on, Ray was barely able to focus, he needed the other right NOW-

A heavy shiver of need hit him then and Peter looked curiously at him as Ray blushed.

"You OK?" he asked.

"I-I just….I've been thinking about this all day." Ray confessed at last "every time I kissed you, i- damn it, I just wanted to undress you and-"

Peter kissed him, tracing the inside of Ray's thigh with one foot, making Ray shiver heavily, his eager moans making Peter crave him even more. He uttered a near feral growl as Ray positioned then entered him now, the heat of him chasing away any lingering worry of the day. All that mattered was this, the intimacy he clung to in the midst of the nightmare.

"Mm, yes, that's my Raymond.." Peter praised, holding tightly to him as Ray started a gentle, slow pace that soon picked up the more Peter urged him on, bracing himself against the bedsheets and letting Ray's rhythm warm him. He kissed Ray, whispering his name as his partner hit that sweet spot with each deep thrust-

"Mmm, I'm all yours, cutie-" Peter groaned, feeling the peak starting to build. He dug his feet into the bed, toes curling into the once pristine sheets as pleasure hit him hard and fast. He was so dizzyingly close to orgasm-

"Peter-!" Ray gasped his lovers name as he could hold back no longer and with one final thrust into that hot, firm body-

Their voices mingled together as one's climax triggered the other's. Peter closed his eyes, relishing in the sensation as it nearly made him light-headed from its intensity. His chest was rising and falling rapidly as he caught his breath amidst the crescendo. Ray gently laid him back against the coolness of the pillow, shy but passionate eyes meeting Venkman's.

"Mmm, exemplary as always, my dear Ray." Peter purred and Ray blushed, still unused to being praised for how he uh.."performed." Peter caught the blush and placed a finger under Ray's chin and tilting his head to meet his gaze once again.

"You should be proud of yourself, Raymond. You've become so bold and it's incredibly sexy, you hear me?"

Ray nodded, biting his lip but smiling all the same. He gently pulled out, pulling the covers over them as Peter settled against him, just like they had in the attic.

Peter drifted asleep in mere minutes, all his energy used up. Ray heard the doctors orders echo in his head: "no over-exertion". But Peter looked so thoroughly content that Ray couldn't feel THAT guilty for satisfying his lovers needs, or his own for that matter. So he just lay awake, watching Venkman sleeping soundly in his arms until sleep finally overcame him.

* * *

Peter was of course extremely reluctant to leave the bed when the alarm went off, but he was like that on a regular day anyway, so Ray didn't bat an eyelid. What he DID do was kiss Peter and coax him out of said bed by asking did he fancy sharing a shower with him? The promise of more naked canoodling worked wonders and Ray was soon helping Peter wash last nights evidence off his body.

* * *

Peter glanced down at the scars on his wrists as they exited said shower, his skin still tingling from Ray's gentle hands. The man was nothing if not incredibly thorough...

He tried not to look at his scars, he just...he hated what they represented, a night of torment and pain, a fear greater then he'd ever known.

So his stomach pretty much sank when he realised that in his haste to pack, he'd grabbed one of his short-sleeved shirts instead of the long-sleeved one. Why did so many of his shirts share similar colours?!

"Peter? You OK?" Ray asked, seeing Peter frowning at the shirt in his hands "is something wrong?"

"Could you do me a favour, Ray?" Peter sighed "could you run to the RV and grab one of the other shirts I packed?"

"Why? Are you cold?" Ray asked, checking his temperature and looking so abruptly anxious that Peter felt compelled to tell him the truth.

"It's not that, I just prefer the longer sleeves." He said this softly, guilt and shame warring in his gut as he glanced at the clothing in his hands.

Ray studied him a moment, then his eyes moved to Peter's wrists and suddenly it all made sense. He lifted one of his partners hands, placing a kiss over the scar tissue before Peter could ask what he was doing. He heard a faint intake of breath from Venkman, glancing up in time to see he was slightly flushed, seeming enraptured by Ray's action.

"Don't let those marks define who you are," he urged, rubbing his thumb over the marred skin "don't hide away, Peter..Please?"

How could Peter refuse a plea like that? The way he'd kissed the scar said a million things to him that all led to the same feeling; love. So he nodded now, shrugging the shirt on before he wussed out and started formulating excuses. He smoothed the fabric down, feeling the scars itch briefly, then the sensation was gone.

"That's better," Ray whispered, wrapping his arms around Peter and kissing him softly before finishing packing away their stuff. They stepped out into the semi-balmy air, heading for the reception of the hotel. Egon and Winston were already there, ordering breakfast.

* * *

"You guys sleep OK last night?" Winston asked, seeing Peter looked more awake then he'd expected.

"Yeah, it was pretty uneventful. Nice to find a hotel thats not surrounded by constant noise." Ray said as he scanned the menu.

Peter ordered a fairly big breakfast, he was starving. As he handed the menu back to the waitress, he heard her make a barely audible noise. One of surprise-

Peter fought to keep his composure as he quickly glanced down, seeing her eyes were trained on the scars. She whispered a faint apology when she realised the man had caught her staring, darting away before he got upset. She'd seen enough thriller movies to recognise restraint marks, and felt a strong sense of sympathy.

Peter's stomach roiled, although he expertly kept it hidden from the others. Ray however, being sat next to him, felt the tension in his body as the waitress left and knew exactly what he was thinking.

Peter started to push to his feet, only to feel a hand stealthily grab the back of his shirt and pull him straight back down. He yelped softly as the slightly-too-hard padded seat encountered his rear end once more.

"Ow! What gives?" He snapped softly.

"The food'll be here in a minute." Ray said calmly, but his eyes said something else. Pleaded subtly with him to stay…."we don't want to be behind schedule."

Peter glowered at him a moment, then sighed loudly and slumped back against the seating. "Fine." He grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. To their credit, the other two didn't say anything, Egon was nose-deep in a notebook anyway and Winston seemed to be focused on his phone screen. Both could guess why Peter was so annoyed, they'd been surprised to see him wearing the short sleeve shirt; for as Ray had noticed, Peter had been making every effort to hide his scars since leaving the hospital.

Peter stopped sulking long enough to shoot a glance at Ray, who smiled thankfully at him. He managed a small smile in return, but soon found himself staring moodily out the window behind Ray. Was he going to be getting that look for the rest of his life? Were people going to assume he'd inflicted it-

He was cut off by the waitress returning, this time with the first of their orders. While the others zeroed in on the fried breakfast like they hadn't eaten in days, Peter found himself a little slower to join them. But eventually appetite won out and he polished the whole plate off in no time.

"I'm gonna go pee." Ray said "no offence to the RV, but that bathroom should only be used in emergencies. Or if you REALLY want claustrophobia."

"It's not THAT bad," Peter chuckled "honestly, I've seen worse. That RV is a palace compared to the caravan my foster parents rented. I was honestly convinced the manufacturer designed it using a stick insect as a model."

This made Ray laugh, which in turn only made him need the bathroom even more. So while he darted off, Egon and Winston went to do a snack run. Peter just shrugged and said he was going outside...

* * *

He took a deep breath as he stepped into the balmy morning, finding a secluded little spot where he could just prop himself against the wall, arms folded over his chest. Again his eyes landed on his scars and he sighed angrily.

He felt the marred skin start to crawl unpleasantly and had to dig his nails into his palm to stop from scratching away…

Footsteps close by made him jump and to be fair, the other person looked just as surprised to see someone else so obviously trying to hide. It took Peter a moment to recognise her as the waitress from earlier…

He made to leave, but-

"Please, wait!"

Peter halted, hands shoved in his pockets as he glanced back at her over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said truthfully "I didn't mean to stare, I have a friend who's studying to be a trauma nurse and she leaves her books all over the place. I probably know more than half the first aiders in there-" she indicated the rest stop she worked in. "and i'm rambling. I'm really sorry, I got scars I know id hate if people could see...so I get why you're angry."

She looked pretty down in the dumps, and Peter got the distinct impression she really hadn't meant to stare.

"It's fine," Peter shrugged stiffly at last "I just don't like the idea of people gossiping about why the marks are on my wrists. I mean, its not my fault ghosts are capable of shredding your skin when they're angry enough. I learned that the hard way!"

"Ghosts..?" She trailed off, then the pieces clicked into place. Her eyes went wide- no way-?

"Peter Venkman and yes, Ghostbusters." The man said to her as she stared at him. How could she not have recognised him?! She'd watched this same man on TV dozens of times. All four of them in fact...she facepalmed at how clueless she'd been. Flashing back she recognised all their faces now…

Hearing a faint chuckle, she looked at Venkman. Out of the uniform he seemed a different person, and she couldn't deny he was pretty cute when he smiled. He turned to face her properly now, running a hand through his hair.

"Relax, without the uniforms it can sometimes take a minute. They make a big impact on peoples subconscious, lets us sneak under the radar if we dress incognito."

"We don't usually tend to see anyone even approaching a celebrity around here," she laughed "my flat-mate is gonna be so jealous, she's always drooling over you four."

"Well the other three stooges should be here any sec- speak of." Peter whistled as the other three exited, drawing their attention over to where he and the awestruck waitress were standing.

Ray greeted her with his usual enthusiasm, but soon as he had a spare moment he glanced at Peter. Peter caught his gaze, mouthing "later." meaning he'd give them the full explanation when they were on the road. Ray again thanked his decision to learn lip-reading, itd proven useful at more than a few busts.

Peter found himself able to give the waitress a "forget about it" smile as they left, leaving her clutching her order book which held all four of their signatures (twice, so she could give one to her flat-mate). As they drove away, Peter seen her waving the book at a co-worker while grinnign all over her face.

* * *

Ray smiled at him as he turned away from the window, placing a soft kiss on his lips as the RV drove down a quiet street, heading towards the highway.

"Thank you, Peter."

"For what?" Peter asked, surprised "I didn't ask her to apologise, the kid insisted on it, I don't think she meant to be rude. Apparently she's learned about that sorta stuff from that other girl she lives with-." He shrugged, what else could he say?

But Ray simply kissed him again and explained "thank you, for not giving in. I'm very proud of you, Peter."

This simple praise hit right to the core, made him think about how Ray had kissed the scar not an hour ago, begged him not to think of them as bad things.

"For you, I think I can put up with them." He said at last, making Ray flush happily and hug him tightly. Well, as best he could while they were sat side by side at the table. It mainly came down to snuggling as close to Peter as he could.

"Not even gonna ask." Winston said wisely as he walked by to get to his suitcase in the storage cupboard.

"Good choice." Peter said with a grin as Ray let him go. He ruffled the younger mans hair, earning a happy grin.

When he returned, Winston reminded Peter he needed to reattach the IV. Peter sighed, but did reluctantly accept he should go lie down and let the thing work. Ray watched him go, heart aching happily at the subtle progress Peter had made.

* * *

Winston studied the grumpy Peter as he changed the needle on the IV. There was Peter's usual not-giving-a-damn in there, but it was counterbalanced by a deep-set exhaustion and apprehension.

"We'll be there by tonight. We'll fix this-"

"What if it can't be fixed, Winston?" Peter said bluntly, making Zeddemore blink at him in surprise. As he opened his mouth to fire a response back, Peter raised a hand to stop him.

"Before you say it, it's not pessimism. Much like my comment at breakfast all those days ago, I'm not gonna hide the issue. I wasn't destined to survive this EITHER instance of the ritual-" his voice hardened and he closed his eyes before delivering the final sentence "what if I still don't?"

Silence reigned as Peter let his hand rest back on his lap.

"Right, okay. My main question is this; do I slap you for saying that, or should I get Ray in here?" Winston said at last, folding his arms. Peter's eyes snapped open and he glared at his co-worker. Zeddemore snorted and shook his head.

"You can't BS a BS-er, Peter. You think I can't tell this is draining you, that you're as rightfully goddamn scared as anyone should be?"

Peter flinched guiltily, but Winston wasn't finished.

"We don't leave a man behind in the marines, even if they're completely losing their marbles. We stand by 'em, end of story. Get 'em out of action if needs be and find a way to fix it, becaise we're a unit, a family. Me and Egon aint giving up on tracking down those nutcases, and Ray? He'll go work for Peck before he gives up on you, never mind what he'll do if he realises you're giving up on yourself AGAIN."

Peter looked like he had a whole tirade ready to unleash, to try protect the facade he'd built to shield himself. But abruptly the fury seemed to die off, and he leant forward so his elbows rested on his knees, chin resting in his hands.

He had halted his anger based on one thing; the doctors advice during that one session Ray had coaxed him to attend.

"I can't stop you guys from being involved can I?" He asked softly.

"Hell no, numbnuts." Winston snickered and seen Peter smile thinly. "why do you ask?"

"Ray persuaded me to go talk with that same doctor he was visiting the day you drove us to the guys office."

"Oh, you mean Dr Silverstream?" Winston remembered seeing Ray leaving the office, how worried Stantz had been...

"Yeah, the guys an expert on trauma, had an incident of his own a few years back, so he told me." Peter stared down at the IV, rubbing a thumb lightly over the point where it was piercing his skin "he said there was no point in trying to stop you guys from getting involved, you already had been since the abduction and werent going to be deterred simply by me sulking. Not his exact words, but who's checking..."

Winston had to chuckle at Peter's flippant and amused tone. It briefly brushed aside the frantic unease that had been at his core since the incident.

"He's right. We don't abandon our own. I get why you tried to go solo, it's an instinct humans have to try stop someone else getting hurt. But we've all worked together for far too long for that trick to work. For all the times you act like a pain in the ass, Pete, we wouldn't have even gotten started if you hadn't convinced Ray to give it a shot. Never mind talking us out of no less then 57 different fines because you flirted with anything that moved and was female."

He added that last part so Peter wasnt left in stunned surprise. It took a moment, but Peter's sarcasm caught up and dusted itself down.

"Oh it's much higher then that, and I'm not just talking about the ladies." Peter smirked, making Winston stare intently at him, like a role reversal of the scene at that breakfast with the pancake.

"Right." Winston said "let me make a deal; YOU tell all about who and what you inferred in that sentence and I'll tell you about the wild nights out on base."

Peter chuckled, "Deal." He said dryly and gave the former marine a quick salute. Winston laughed, leaning back against the wall.

"My squad leader woulda called you a 'wildcard', y'know? The type that even their own men would have trouble outfoxing, forget the enemy! A sitch like this? I think even the best of us would be hard pressed to say they can easily shrug it off, so stop being so hard on yourself…" he glanced at the narrow door the opened out onto the rest of the van "I'm honestly surprised Ray's worry radar hasn't sent him in our direction."

Peter smiled softly "I don't want him to worry himself sick, but I can't stop him, can I?" he sighed, dragging a hand through his hair as he flopped back onto the bed, the softness of the pillow rapidly drawing him into sleep "as it is, I feel like I'm going to go crazy every time I let him outta my sight…zz.."

His sentence ended with a faint snore and Winston smiled faintly before slipping quietly out of the room to let Venkman rest. He understood what that last drowsy sentence was saying though; the comfort and compassion of Ray's presence helped keep the panic and uncertainty at bay.

* * *

They made a couple of stops throughout the day as they travelled and Peter watched the others run off all energetic and ready to start blasting spooks. He, meanwhile, was stuck in the RV and the damn IV line was REALLY starting to make him itch. He was fine, he felt much better compared to yesterday! Not even the delightful roll in the hay last night had taxed him all that much…

—Because Raymond took charge, you goof. Guy's a natural at this..—

He sighed, drumming his fingers on the kitchen table, the ticking sounds the engine made as it cooled seemingly obnoxiously loud.

—Im so BORED.— he let out a loud groan and face-planted onto the table before him.

* * *

He was attempting to chew the IV tube off when the others returned.

"Seriously Pete, what're you doing?!" Winston asked dubiously. Peter's eyes flicked up to him, and he tried to talk around the transparent tubing.

"Getgf thish fing ouffa meh-"

"Was that even english?" Winston asked, making Peter release the tube and glower at him petulantly.

"I SAID, get this thing outta me. And that's definitely not what HE said."

Ray snorted at the crude humour and the other two just rolled their eyes.

"Well, I suppose we can remove it early." Egon looked at the remaining liquid in the bag "resume later, perhaps?"

"Anything you want, just get this stupid thing outta me before it drives me crazy. Sitting here doing nothing is already making headway on that." Venkman whined as he slouched down in his seat with his trademark pout.

Ray sat himself next to Peter as he sulked, nudging him in the side and smiling warmly, which seemed to blunt his frustration a little. Egon removed the drip while the two communicated via an exchange of glances and Peter automatically scratched at the spot it'd been in, which resulted in Egon slapping a band-aid over it and telling him not to do that when Peter glowered at him.

* * *

Winston took over the next driving shift and Egon went to sit in the bedroom and study the Spates catalogue. He initially tried joining the other two at the table, but while he didn't seem to care on the surface, Peter kept involuntarily tensing up whenever Egon turned a page and Spengler correctly deduced he was wary of it after the last incident. So, to spare Peter's mental state and read uninterrupted, he'd secluded himself in the sleeping area. Ray, taking advantage of the time alone, immediately snuggled up closer to Peter and kissed him softly. They remained that way for awhile, propping one another up as Ray read a book and Peter watched random videos on Stantz's laptop.

When Ray began yawning, Peter chuckled and nuzzled behind his ear, telling the sleepy young man to go take a nap. Ray snuck one last kiss before deciding to take said rest and ambled off to the sleeping area.

He greeted Egon and curled up on his bed, falling into a light sleep in minutes.

* * *

It was getting dark when Peter wandered up front to slump in the passenger seat as Winston drove.

"Hay, how ya doin'?" Zeddemore asked and Peter gave a shrug.

"Better, still feel a bit weird, but its' an improvement over two days ago."

"That's good, man you gave us all a fright when you suddenly collapsed like that."

"It's this...this weird energy. It's as if its trying to devour me from the inside out! It's messed up, Winston!" Peter laughed bitterly, gripping the armrest so tightly his knuckles were turning white "y'know, most kids inherit facial features from their parents, or certain traits. Me? I inherited a demons power."

"We don't know for sure-" Winston began but Peter shook his head stubbornly.

"It's a demon, trust me. That a-hole formerly known as Ivan made THAT very clear. The creature my father bargained with was a full-on demon, so it's gotta be demonic, hasn't it?"

"Maybe, maybe not? Personally, I'd say it's all in the hands of the one controlling it. Bad things can sometimes do good, ya get me? In the right hands, any weapon can be a force for good. Why would you be any different?"

"Heh, it sounds like one of Rays fantasy stories, Winston. But it's a nice thought, I wont lie." Peter mused it over as they drove, watching the lights flicker past. He seen his reflection in the window, wondering if he looked any different since getting this magic. Inside, he felt like a mess, but outside- was it visible?

He was starting to drift asleep when an alarm on the dashboard began beeping loudly, startling him awake, nothing making any sense for several befuddling seconds. Egon came haring in, leaning between the seats to look at the dials.

"What's goin' on?" Peter asked, rubbing his eyes and reminding Ray of that first morning he'd seen Peter wear one of his shirts. He'd just woken up, stumbling to the kitchen in search of coffee…

He wedged himself on the chairs other side to catch Peter's eye, asking was he feeling OK? Peter nodded and they conversed softly as Egon checked the dials.

"We're picking up strong signals, it's from up ahead. Winston, next turn." Egon said briskly.

"Whatever it is, I'm coming with you." Peter said stubbornly. Egon frowned, opening his mouth to say Peter needed to rest but Peter shot him a desperate glare.

"I've been stuck in bed or attached to a drip for nearly two days solid, Egon! I need to stretch my legs or I'll go stir crazy." Venkman whined, looking very bummed out at the thought of being left behind again. Egon weighed the condition of Peter's physical state against his mental state and decided in favour of the excursion. A frustrated Peter would only result in him annoying them all the more bored he got. Not even Ray could distract him forever.

"Fine, for the sake of our collective sanity's, I can't see the harm." Egon said with shrug, ignoring the glare boring into him from Peter's direction. Winston snickered and returned the middle finger Peter aimed at him. Ray just watched them and chuckled happily to himself, they made for an interesting little unit.

* * *

Ray gave Peter a hand with his Proton pack, glad to see the spark of excitement in his partner's eyes again. Peter caught Stantz staring and snagged a quick kiss that made Ray flush. They joined the others outside and Peter took a deep breath of fresh air. He was feeling mostly back to normal, with all the things he was being dosed with, both food and medicine, he could almost pretend this was just another road trip.

Ok, so he felt the weight of his pack a little more now. His strength wasn't back to how it'd been before, he'd have to be careful...

He strode ahead, feeling his muscles rejoice in this big open space after being stuck in the RV all day. They appeared to be an abandoned trading town, nothing but shells of buildings remaining. Off to the left of the huge road/town was a dense forest where little light seemed to reach. It reminded Peter of that house he and Eugene had investigated, where they'd rescued their friends and a bunch of students. That place had messed with his head, only to get its ass handed to it once Peter realised.

* * *

He didn't feel the eyes on him as he walked ahead of the others, feeling oddly enraptured by the skeletal remains of the town that surrounded him, didn't sense the invisible line that'd been drawn on the road; but those waiting did and they surged into action. A jolt ran up Peter's spine and he swore, whipping round in time to see a shield made of a strange reddish energy crop up between him and his friends. It was mostly see through, rapidly encircling him and him alone in a fairly wide radius.

"Peter!" Ray shouted, racing over with the others in tow. Peter met them at the shields edge, pressing his hand to where Ray's rested on the surface of the other side.

"It's alright Peter, just take a deep breath-" Egon began as he reached for his PKE meter.

"This isn't ME doing this, Egon!" Peter pounded franticly on the shield "I don't know how to do this-! Get me outta here, now!"

Egon looked concerned, but he accepted Peter's statement as soon as he seen the clear lack of humour from Venkman. The man looked scared, not a look Peter had ever worn often…

"The packs?" Ray asked and the other two nodded. Proton beams had proven capable to punching holes in ghostly defences before…

"Open Fire!" Winston yelled once they were in position and they put the packs to full stream and aimed them all at the shield, away from where Peter stood, as he seemed too stunned to move away from the edge of the barrier.

For a brief second, a crack appeared in the shield, then it shimmered and with a flash, reset itself.

"Cap 'em." Winston said, shaking his head as they seen it'd made no difference.

"Now what?" Ray whispered as they shut them off "grenades?"

"Right here." Egon pulled one from his pocket, then raised his voice "stand back, Peter. We'll blast a hole and you'd better be prepared to run-"

"Oh? Stay awhile, won't you?" a disembodied voice said and Peter whipped around sharply, glancing all around the vast, empty dome that the shield had formed. Egon froze, grenade still in hand as he too tried to narrow down the owner of the voice.

"Who's there?!" Peter shouted, reaching for the neutrona wand, but his hands were shaking too hard, what was wrong with him? "Who are you?"

The sense of unease continued to press down on him, he felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Who..?" He croaked.

A portal opened up mere meters before Peter and a man wearing a set of intricate robes stepped out. His face was hooded, but there was something evil in the smirk he wore. He stepped towards Peter, who never took his eyes off him, his weaponry apparently forgotten.

"My, how you've grown." the man mused as he regarded Peter, who blinked, jolted out of his daze by such a bizarre statement.

"What're you talking about?" He asked, then the pieces slotted into place. NO, it couldn't be..?

—Really?— his mind piped up, taking advantage of his shock to put its two cents in —Ivan did say he was behind your kidnapping. He was behind it all.—

"You remember, don't you?" The hooded figure laughed, then in one swift movement, threw the hood back. All four Ghostbusters stared in mute shock, briefly unable to comprehend what they were seeing.

This guy was older, with slicked-back brown hair interspersed with grey. The shape of some of his facial features, an air of confidence…even the way he smirked echoed Peter's familiar mannerism. He exuded power and control as he coolly regarded his son, not a flicker of concern in his eyes.

Peter stood in silent shock, head pounding and eyes fixed on the figure before him.

"THAT'S his dad?" Winston hissed, eyes darting briefly to look at the other two.

Egon looked about to throw up, his expression one of sheer disgust.

"He's a monster." Stantz hissed, hands shaking as they clenched at his sides. This was the man who'd staged the whole kidnapping, who'd paid Ivan to sleep with Peter as if he was nothing more then an object to be used and thrown away. The man who'd caused such pain to Venkman that Ray had feared he'd lost his lover, best friend and fellow Ghostbuster.

"You cant be here." Peter said, feeling close to being sick as he recoiled from this strange man, THIS was his father?

The older man smiled calmly, as if he was addressing a small child "I can and I am. I thought it high time I meet my son again, after your mother so heartlessly abducted you-."

"Abducted-? You tried to kill me, you insane breadbasket!" Peter yelled as his mind caught up to all this "she got me away from your twisted little schemes! Give me one good reason I shouldn't just fry your eyebrows off!"

The robed man chuckled as if Peter was a mere child threatening him with an imaginary weapon. His son's hand hovered by that energy gun, but the force he was exerting on the 'Ghostbuster's' mind rendered him immobile from fear.

"You have no memory of who you were, do you?" he said, none of this evident in his amused and almost jaunty tone.

"Venkman-" Egon began, looking from his PKE meter to their friend "the readings- they're changing fast!"

"Oh, that's right. That's what they know you as, I almost forgot." Peter's father finally took his gaze off his stunned son, a smug sneer crossing his face as he regarded the others that stood outside the shield.

"It's what I AM, you nut loaf." Peter hissed, again feeling the weird fog on his mind slip enough to let his real self out.

"Oh? You think 'Venkman' is your real name?" His father let out a short, sharp laugh, the sound echoing around the vast space around them "my dear naive child, it's nothing but a cover-up."

"What?" both Peter and his friends said at once.

"Indeed. Your mother was crafty enough to know that I'd find the both of you in a heartbeat if she kept your original names. So she ran to someone to make fake documents, made up a phoney back-history and left you with an adoption agency. I must commend her thoroughness, it took great digging to find the few details I have on what she did. She obviously hired a hypnotist to erase any knowledge of what happened that night, leaving you utterly unaware for most your life."

He removed something from under the collar of his robes. It was an amulet bearing what looked like a jagged 'A' framed by ominous black wings. He threw it to Peter now and the stunned Ghostbuster caught it on instinct, staring at it in shock.

"Don't you recognise this? Its the family crest. The facsimile 'Peter Venkman' is just a story, its nothing compared to what you really are. Your mother named you, your REAL name, that is." he stepped closer to Peter and his gaze never left his son's as he approached.

"She named you after her brother, whom she lost when he was involved in an accident the year before she had you." he was right in front of Peter now, extending one slim finger to tilt his son's face upwards so their eyes met. "the false name, the false life she allowed you to live- it's all worthless. You have a heritage many would kill for- Tobias Ashwood."

Peter stared blankly at him, mind reeling from all of this. Ash...wood? Thoughts uncurled in his mind, bright lines reaching out to form a faintly familiar shape…

"Impossible-!" Egon said in a hushed voice, from somewhere behind Peter.

"What is?" Winston asked and Egon glanced at him.

"I know that name! Ashwood, it's mentioned in many of the volumes that I found discussing arcane magic-"

Egon looked suddenly hesitant and Ray knew with a sinking stomach that the history of that name was nothing good. He turned his attention back to the shield, seeing Peter frozen on the spot, staring up at his dad. His hands were clenched so tightly that blood ran in thin trickles down his palms from the force of his grip.

"You must remember something about your past-" the older man said curiously "or did she scramble your memory far more effectively than I gave her credit? Really, she could be so petty when she wanted her own way-"

That was when Peter moved with sudden speed, punching his father with such force it actually sent him flying back several feet.

"Hell yeah!" Winston said, "that's what you deserve, a-hole!"

"Remember?" Peter spat, "all I remember is a monster I thought was just a nightmare. Why in the name of sanity would I want to remember someone who tried to KILL ME. Twice! Screw you!"

He unhitched the neutrona wand, trembling hands pressing the switch to activate it.

"And don't you DARE insult her, you lowlife! As far as I'm concerned, she's my ONLY parent."

His father picked himself up as the hum built in intensity, seeming unfazed. He didn't even seem fazed by Winston's insult, in fact he'd barely acknowledged the other Ghostbusters at all so far.

"I daresay I deserved that, and ill let your defence of your mother slide, she erased all knowledge of me, so it's understandable. But I don't have all day, so let's dispense with the theatrics-"

He gestured with one hand and translucent hands grew out of the ground around Peter. They restrained his wrists and ankles, forcing him to stop the proton pack.

"Let me go!" Peter cried, his panic rising at being restrained. Energy crackled around his hands as he fought desperately and he finally managed to tear a few of the phantom limbs off him-

He stumbled forward, free at last- but then another hand speared out from the ground and clamped tightly around his neck, forcing him to go still, lest it crush his windpipe. The wand clattered uselessly to his side as he scrabbled at the icy fingers around his neck.

The others froze, Egon's finger hovering over the grenade.

His father stepped round to behind him, even as Peter tried to get free again, pulling a ceremonial knife from his sleeve and slicing through the proton pack's straps at if they were made of butter.

"Hm, an interesting little toy, but you don't need this thing, not with your capability." He looked at it with disdain, then threw it through the shield. It hit the pavement with a clatter as the hands released Peter, giving him a hearty shove so he crumpled to the cracked asphalt at his father's feet, coughing heavily.

"You're right, it WAS my intent to sacrifice you. But perhaps that was a mistake. When your mother interrupted the ritual, she left you with a taste of power and I daresay it's been stretching its wings since Ivan and his idiot cronies failed to account for your rabid ghost hunting friends and thus made it impossible for me to take the power I wanted."

Peter felt one of the ghostly hands brush his ankle and made a faint gagging sound, kicking at it as he scrambled back, the cracked asphalt scraping the palms of his hands. But another arm just sprung up from the dirt and hooked around Peter's neck, pressing hard enough that he couldn't speak a word. More clamped hold of his wrists, their sharp points digging into his skin. His vision blurred, urgent panic ripping his heart apart as he silently watched his friends face off with his father.

"Drop the act, before I take care of it myself!" Egon barked, holding up the grenade "you don't want to know what I've crammed into this. Once your shield falls, it's open season."

Ashwood senior frowned, then began to laugh softly.

"Oh, that's just priceless." He said "you didn't think I'd let that fly a second time, did you? Bad enough Ivan and those morons failed to account for you pests the first time. No, I bided my time so you wouldn't be able to interfere. My intel informed me you were heading for New Orleans, so I set this little stage and sent a signal I knew YOU-" he pointed at Egon now "wouldn't be able to resist. It's all you concern yourself with, isn't it? I knew if I made enough noise on your radar, you'd bring him right to me!"

Egon's stomach felt hollowed out, he tried to form the words to object-

"Nice try asswipe." Winston snapped, stepping in for the mute Spengler "This has nothing to do with Egon, you just set this up so you could gloat. We ruined your little summoning party last time, after all! This was a chance, nothing more, you couldn't be certain we'd stop."

"Ah, you're the military one. Explains all that common sense, its been drilled into your head from day one, hasn't it?"

"Forget just your jaw, I'll break every other bone in your body!" Ray snarled, feeling close to vomiting as he watched Peter try to wriggle free, only for the arm that was locked around his throat to tighten and digs its nails into his shoulder. Peter coughed and Ray seen tears sparkle in the light generated by the shield.

"And that just leaves the emotional one.." Ashwood snr glanced at his son, then back at the three standing on the shields other side. Seeing Egon regaining his focus and moving to press the grenade, he spoke one simple command;

"Deal with the outsiders,"

The trio outside the forcefield blinked, who was he talking to-?

* * *

Barely had the thought crossed their minds then there came a faint greenish glow in the air above them. Fighting to breathe, Peter looked up, stomach sinking as he seen dozens of ghosts from all eras surrounding the shield now. Had they been hiding here all this time?

As he watched, even more ghosts seeped out of the ground and the buildings and his friends were quickly forced to turn their attention to the spooks, their proton beams lighting up the night. His father spoke again, making Peter's attention snap back to him.

"I must admit, I was surprised to see you again, I truly expected you to have been lost or dead after this long, much like your mother. But then there you were, appearing on TV and touting some ghost-removal service. After that it was just a matter of setting everything up and finding out the life you'd led since your disappearance."

Peter took a gamble then, ripping at the hand around his neck and forcing himself to his feet as fast as he could. It worked, the translucent arms tearing and disintegrating into sparkles of dust.

He backed away, keeping some space between himself at his father-

Too late, he realised his mistake when his shoulders bumped the shields edge, he'd been facing the wrong way-!

More arms snapped out and lashed around him, rendering him almost immobile. His father approached, still wearing that same calm, distant expression.

"You can't have power like this and just walk away, child. So, I'll make you an offer. You rejoin the REAL family you were born into and I will let your friends go free. Forget them. Whatever you want, I can get it for you. Money? Fame?"

He glanced across, outside the shield to where Ray stood, valiantly fighting off ghosts and casting desperate glances back at Peter- his knuckles were bruised and bleeding and there were tears in his eyes. This was the one who'd pressed his hand to the shield, feelings of empathy radiated out from him. So this one was important to his son?

"The most attractive partners you could want-"

"Didn't your little crony update you?!" Peter spat out, laughing bitterly "I ditched that lifestyle after realising what a creep he was. Nothing you offer me could make me abandon those guys. Go crawl in a ditch and perish."

"Is that so?" His father smirked, then turned his attention to the others…

Ray cried out as a hand snapped out from the shield, disjointed and twisted. It grabbed his wrist, pulling him to his knees beside the shield. He cursed and swore, trying to free himself but the hand only responded by tightening its grip. Egon and Winston turned, but Ray shouted at them to keep fighting, they had to keep them at bay-

"Ray-!" Peter choked out, feeling about to vomit in horror. His biggest fear, that who he was was putting his friends at risk-

"Then how about I put what you have now on the table?" his father sneered, watching Peter closely as he stared at Ray, how his tear-filled eyes never left that young man. He seen the hope in his son's eyes as the one outside the shield managed to pry one translucent finger away from his wrist.

"So, it's love, is it?"

Peter's gaze darted to his father in time to see the true malice within him. The older Ashwood snapped his fingers and-

Ray's scream of pain echoed around the space as the hand gripping his wrist put enough pressure on it to fracture the bone. Peter seen pained tears sparkle in Ray's eyes, seen how it hurt him as he met his eyes-

"Leave him alone!" he shouted at his father, rage building inside. His father lifted his hand to command it to crush and liquify the bones, but Peter's fury had reached its peak by then. There was a loud crackling sound mixed with a near feral scream of anger as Peter tore free from his bonds, catching his father off guard as he lunged for him.

-I underestimated you, child.- He was forced to release Ray to deal with his son, letting Stantz slump to the ground. The searing heat of Peter's power surprised him as he narrowly avoided a solid punch to the face again, and he grinned. Oh, this was perfect.

Egon and Winston raced over and pulled Ray away from the shield, even as he kicked and struggled, refusing to abandon Peter.

Ashwood snr grabbed his son by the neck and drove an elbow into his stomach, then threw him several meters away, seeing him hit the ground and come to a halt in a crumpled heap.

"Peter!" Ray screamed hoarsely, heart in his throat as he watched this unfold inside the shield.

Peter coughed and gagged in pain as he tried to pick himself up, blood trickling into his eyes from a cut on his forehead as he looked back at his friends.

Outside the shield, even more ghosts appeared, forcing the Ghostbusters back even further, trying to corner them and tear them apart. Even with his wrist in agony, Ray was refusing to give up-

"Time to make a choice." his father looked disturbingly calm as he gestured at the battle going on outside. "I can spare your friends, even your pathetic lover. All you have to do is join me, we're the same, you and I."

"You're crazy." Peter rasped "I'm nothing like you."

"Oh but you are, you have the same strength, the same refusal to be beaten. You're a lot like me, child. You've always wanted more but life always denies you..."

"No!" Peter cried, shaking his head, he wouldn't be swayed now. He had to nip this in the bud-

Behind his eyelids, that same pattern emerged, lines of light drawing what looked like a set of scattered runes-

It hit him then just what it was and he felt a small spark ignite. He bit his lip, HARD, using the pain to remind himself who he was, not to fall for his father's lies. He didn't see the single drop of blood run down his neck, soaking into the piece of jewellery that bore such significance.

He drew in a shaky breath, more fragments of subconscious thought stitching together as he sat there. He felt a dampness on his face and realised he was crying, he couldn't stand to see this happen to the people that'd rescued him. For that brief while he'd been safe, happy and in love with a man too good for him..

Ashwood senior turned from watching the battle, casting a brief glance at his son. It seemed he would have to break him quite throughly, he was too much like his mother…

"You have power, boy, don't deny it! You're an Ashwood, pure as can be, that can get you whatever you want in the world."

"You don't get it.." Peter coughed "I HAVE all I want. Even if I took it for granted at times, it was always there.."

"Those pathetic fools? You really are deluding yourself." His father laughed coldly. "such commoners shouldn't be what an Ashwood keeps as companions!"

"Why won't you leave me alone?" Peter spat, wiping blood out of his eyes.

"Why ask questions you already know the answer to? Because you're mine, MY son. You're never escaping me again."

Peter tried to drag in a single deep breath, but his lungs felt too tight and spots swam at the edge of his vision. He coughed and retched, huddled over with one hand pressing to his chest-

There, beneath his shirt. Something pressed against his chest, the metal cooling his skin.

-The necklace, the one Ray gave me.- A broken sob tore from his throat as he recalled everything Ray had done for him, the way he'd felt as he trusted Ray to overwrite the fear of contact with his gentle hands. Ray had said he'd refused to give up because he loved him and Peter believed it, believed that a soul as sweet as Ray could see the good in him.

-There are other ways to control it..- Egon's words flashed through his mind next. So far, his anger acted as catalyst because that was all he'd been, angry and scared. But now….he was determined. Determined to see his father fall, or at least dragged down a peg or ten. Determined to save his friends and the man he'd fallen for.

What was it Winston had said? "In the right hands, any weapon can be a force for good?"

He fumbled with the necklace, tearing the chain with one tug and clutching it tightly in his fist.

In his head, the fragments of that magic circle his sleepwalking fits had been slowly piecing together merged together now, shining brightly against the blackness of his eyelids.

* * *

"Get up." his father's voice speared into the safety of his mind and Peter's eyes snapped open.

Ashwood glared at his son as the young man just sat there, almost catatonic, one hand clutching his chest. Was he suffering a heart attack? It wasn't uncommon and it could be fixed by magic, he'd done it himself that night, after all…

"Join me, they can ALL live. Your lover will go on to lead a normal life, all you have to do is let him go..."

Peter stared brokenly out at his friends.

"Peter-!" Ray could hear most of this, and what wasn't audible he was lip-reading even as he fought "don't listen to him! You're better than this-!"

"Yeah! Tell him where to shove it!" Winston cried, blasting another ghost as he did.

"With a broom handle, no?" Egon cried as he ducked an overhead swipe, lobbing the ghost grenade in the air whereupon it eradicated a large swathe of spooks.

Ashwood scowled and with a further gesture, the ghosts went still and the trio faltered, what was going on?

Hands lashed around their necks from behind, their grips like iron.

"I'm through playing games. Take your rightful place, Tobias, before I run out of patience and snap all their necks!"

Peter shook his head, but then heard them cry in pain. He seen the fear in Ray's eyes, knew he couldn't sacrifice any of them-

"Peter, don't you-" Winston began, but gasped dizzily as the hand tightened its grip and he began to black out-

Egon was already on the edge of giving in, he wouldn't last much longer-

"Alright!" Peter caved at last, voice hoarse and ragged "I'll do it! Just let them go!"

His father laughed coldly, dismissing the spell as he stepped back to appraise how thoroughly broken Venkman was.

"Never let it be said I didn't show you mercy, my wayward son."

Peter didn't respond, just watched the barely conscious forms of his friends. He seen Ray lift his head, uttered a gasp of relief when he seen they were all breathing…

"On your feet," his father said almost gently and Peter staggered drunkenly upright.

"Come here, child. Take my hand."

Peter stared at him in shock, unable to speak a word as he took tentative steps to where his father stood before the same portal he'd emerged from.

"P-peter?" Ray coughed, pulling himself up in time to see Peter stepping towards his father, who was holding out a hand to him.

"Peter, don't!" he gasped, crawling over and slamming a hand against the shield as fresh tears of panic blurred his vision "you're more than just a name, please..."

Egon stirred along with Winston and they watched alongside Ray in sinking horror as Peter stepped closer to his father.

"Peter, cut that out right now!" Winston bellowed in his best marine instructor voice.

Peter looked back, his expression was that of someone so beautifully broken.

"I'm sorry." he said dully and his father smirked. But Ray seen Peter's lips move quickly, spelling out three words.

"What'd he say?" Egon asked desperately, seeing Ray mouthing something.

"Please, trust me." Ray said, voice cracking as he tried to understand what was going on.

They watched in horror as Peter set his hand atop his fathers. Spell lines began to etch themselves around the duo and it seemed like they'd lost their friend for good.

But just as it seemed like Peter had switched sides, the tide shifted and the air crackled with a different light.

* * *

Ashwood laughed in triumph as his son's hand came to rest in his, the world narrowing to this long-awaited victory. He could see the broken young man had no more hope left. He couldn't have hoped for better-

Ashwood snr began the spell to bind Peters' mind, to make him more pliable- reaching out to his untrained power. He grinned, there was a bounty of magic lurking within him, and it HIS for the taking- Peter- no, Tobias, began to lapse into a semi-conscious state, eyes fluttering shut as the spell continued its path.

His sons grip tightened, that when he felt something digging into his palm, felt something hot jab the skin, like spikes.

-What?-

* * *

Behind closed eyes, Peter envisioned the spell circle that was now complete in his mind. He seen himself stood on it and extending his arms out to the ghosts that hovered in the void around him. Silently, he begged them to join him, stop his fathers cruelty and save the lives of his friends. Ghostly hands brushed his and he felt the force of their anger, felt their sorrow flood him like an inky mass.

The shield began to fluctuate, the ghosts outside unfroze but began screaming in a different tone. Anger, not hunger. The green tint of the spell used to control them began to flicker like static on a TV screen.

Too late, Ashwood realised he'd been tricked.

"NO-What have you done?!" He tried to tear his hand free from his sons, but chains suddenly materialised and locked their wrists together.

Peter's eyes snapped open, and gone was that look of subjugation, of loss. There was an undeniable strength there now, how was this possible?

Then his son spoke.

"Taken control. This is MY world, YOU'RE the intruder here."

"Intruder? I'm offering you a near eternal life, all you have to do is join me and we can ride out the years as this pathetic world collapses-"

"There's no point digging up the past if it doesn't give something to the future. Even I know that. All you've ever done is take away and I won't be complicit in your crimes, I won't let you destroy what I protect."

His father stared down at the chains binding them together "how? You know nothing of magic-!"

"Maybe I don't, but my mother did." Peter said "it all makes sense now; the message, the fragments of the spell- they were safeguards. She must've known her plan wasn't foolproof and left me a greater gift then linage could ever give. Love."

Ashwoord snr gritted his teeth, trying to rip the chains off with his free hand, but whatever was holding them in place burned him. How had Minerva been able to hide something so significant?!

Peter continued, he wasn't done with the revelation that'd finally freed his mind.

"Those chains are born of a gift from someone who had enough faith in the world for both of us, even when I was at my worst. The same person who worked himself to the bone to give me something you can't take away; HOPE. You cant beat me in a mind game, didn't you do your homework?"

He winced as he focused on ramping up the pressure, feeling the bones in his hand ache but hearing his father snarl in pain was worth it.

That same pattern that the book and his dreams had shown him flickered on the ground around them now, growing brighter and brighter while it began to fill itself in.

"What's that? Whats he doing?" Ray gasped, grabbing Egon's arm tightly.

"I don't know!" Egon shook his head "I've never seen this before.."

Peter closed his eyes, feeling the markings on the ground diverting every bit if power within him to completing themselves.

His father finally realised what was happening as he tried to free himself, but his son's grip was too strong. Peter shook his head, his eyes meeting his father's with no fear; it sent an uneasy chill down Ashwood's back. How had the man hidden his true intentions so well?!

"This kind of power cannot be allowed to remain. That includes our family, it includes YOU." Peter spat, tasting blood in the back of his throat, but he didn't waver. He knew the spell would trap him too, in that instance his father was right, he WAS too inexperienced. A numbing feeling was spreading up through his body and going by his fathers cursing, he was feeling the same.

"This is for the best."

The threat behind his words sunk in an Ashwood roared in fury, trying to exert control again, tendrils of magic crackling over the chains, brushing against Peter's mind. He seen the young man flinch, but he didn't even budge, just smirked even as his head pounded painfully.

"I kicked a class 7 spirit out of my head, what makes you think you're getting in there?"

"You fool!" his father screamed now "You destroy me, you'll destroy yourself in the process!"

Peter felt a jab of pain at the thought of never holding Ray again, but realised this time HE needed to save THEM.

"Maybe I will, but its a price I'm prepared to pay." he closed his eyes, telling the spell to finish. It began to flash at their feet, getting faster and faster- he didn't know what the spell would do to him, but he had no choice.

"It's a detonation sequence!" Winston cried as the rhythm increased.

"Peter, no-!" Ray cried.

But they couldn't do anything to stop it. The chains that bound father and son shone brightly, red and pale blue light entwining to form a swirling vortex of magic between them. The shield grew hazy, blotting the sight before them before the sphere of magic around their hands expanded in a rush, blotting the world out in blinding light-

* * *

Peter closed his eyes, feeling the rush of power swell out and encompass them both. He kept the image of Ray in mind, recalling that sweet smile he'd given Peter as they'd cuddled together.

-I love you, Raymond.-

An abrupt chill swept up through him, and he opened his eyes to see a swirling grey outline surrounding him now. There were FACES in the shield that now surrounded him-

Then the blast went off and he was torn away from his father, sent crashing to the ground.

* * *

He lifted his head, hearing flames crackling. Heat tore at his lungs and he froze at the sight before him.

All the ghosts he'd reached out to when he unleashed his patch-job spell hovered before his father now. They were free, no longer glowing with that almost radioactive green tint, but filled with a soft grey light. A dozen were holding his father in place, the others hovered nearby. His father had taken the brunt of the blast Peter had unleashed, how had he himself come out virtually unhurt?

-A shield. With FACES.- his shock-rattled brain had the courtesy to point out.

"Oh." he said softly, aloud.

The ghosts were all gazing unflinchingly at Ashwood, not one spared a glance for the injured Peter as he dragged himself to a sitting position against a piece of broken fencing, coughing in the smoke.

As Peter watched this ghostly court, the one that seemed to be in charge reached a transparent hand into his fathers chest, withdrawing a gleaming ball of energy. Just looking at it made Peter think it weighed more than an entire planet, such mass did it seem to exude. His father fought and cursed, then blacked out as the ghost floated back, holding the shimmering orb.

"Centuries.." the voice seemed to echo around the ghosts, spoken by one and many at the same time.

"We have suffered."

"Bound to a monster."

"Yet now we are free, our torment is over. But this magic cannot remain in its owner, one must bear it."

They all turned then, focusing on the battered and bleeding human huddled by the shields edge. Peter shrank back, a frantic sound clawing at his throat. Were they going to kill him, for being related to that man-?

"The son." one ghost said.

"Yes, a direct heir."

"He is...different. Not like the father." They began to drift closer...

"No, stay back-!" Peter cried, and the head ghost dissipated-

-only to appear before him. Peter uttered a strangled cry and tried to scramble back, but the ghost grabbed his wrist with surprising force, turning Peter's hand so his palm faced upwards.

"It cannot remain with him, let it be reborn within you instead." the old ghost said and before Peter could even ask what the hell was going on, the ghost placed the hand clutching the orb over Peter's palm and it began pushing into his body. Intense pain fired along his arm and he tried desperately to get free, pleading with the ghost to stop this- It felt like his body had caught fire, and he tried everything to pull away but other ghosts floated over to hold him down. He even faintly felt one of them brush away tears of agonised pain that the pain of transference caused...

Their voices reached his ears over his own cries of pain.

"He is family, but the apple falls far from this tree."

"We will see, if he passes."

"It's in his hands now."

The ghosts released him and Peter slumped to the broken ground, curling into a ball and clutching his chest, breathing raggedly. He opened his eyes, seeing ghosts through his tears, shock rendering him mute.

"We will take him now." The elderly ghost said, and he pointed at Peter's father "you gave us back control, your gift will not go unappreciated. Farewell, young one, for now."

All Peter could do was watch in silence as the ghosts now dragged his father back through the swirling portal, which snapped shut with a finality he felt deep in his bones.

The rest began to glow a bright white, there was another corona of light and he had to shield his eyes-

* * *

With a loud pop, noise flooded in to fill the silence, the sudden rush of air extinguishing the flames and letting cool night air settle in.

Opening his eyes as his ears rang, Peter seen markings carved into the asphalt and dragged himself over. His hands shook as he traced the spell he'd somehow created. Had it been enough? Was his father stopped for good?!

Sparks leapt from the marking to his hand and he was given a reminder of the ghosts parting gift. Why had they done that, was it punishment for being an Ashwood descendant?

"Why?!" he croaked "why didn't you destroy it? Destroy ME?!"

Silence.

"What sick game are you playing?" he screamed this at the sky, as if the ghosts could still hear him, but only silence met his ears. He uttered a broken cry, then he heard footsteps-

"Peter..?"

Ray's voice sounded so heartbreakingly sweet as it approached through the smoky haze. Peter twisted round, seeing all his friends emerge from the smoke. Ray's eyes settled on him and he looked ready to cry. Peter tried to talk, but his whole body felt like it was burning up, he felt dizzy-

Seeing Stantz take a hesitant step forward, Peter pushed himself to his feet, body screaming at him to give in to exhaustion but he refused to listen.

"Ray, get back." Peter said softly as he felt the power rake at his frail hold on it, he didn't want to hurt Raymond. But Ray shook his head stubbornly.

"Nope, nope nope, that's a whole lot of NOPE, Peter. I'm not leaving-" he strode forward, reaching for him-

"Don't come any closer, you don't understand what he did-!" Peter shouted, his hoarse voice making Ray freeze mid-step. Peter had never raised his voice like that, why..?

"What're you talking about Pete?" Winston said, relieved to see him alive but concerned by how strange he was acting "Look around you. Your dad's gone, you're free, my man."

Peter shook his head, uttering a broken laugh at how naive his friends were right that second.

"He's gone, but his curse isn't over." he laughed bitterly "stopping him left ME with his power, Winston and it feels like it'll tear the world apart if I don't do something to contain it. It's as ruthless as my dad and it'll go after all of YOU. I can't stop it!"

Egon raised the PKE meter, stepping closer as he glanced from the meter to his friend-

"Just wait a moment Peter, we can help-"

"Not one more step!" Peter said sharply, clutching his head in his hands as pain lanced through him. The ground shook and fractured between him and them, toppling them all to the pavement.

"Yeow, who summoned an earthquake?" Winston asked blearily, vision clearing in time to spot the shock, guilt and fear in Venkman's expression as he sat himself up.

"Pete, just wait-" he began, but Peter scrambled up, his desperate mind telling him to run.

* * *

He threw himself in the direction of the forest, tripping down a slight incline before plunging into the cool dark of its crowded firs. This was like a nightmarish coffee overdose, every muscle burned with energy that couldn't release fast enough, like undetonated explosives that'd just been lit. He knew at some level he wasn't being rational, but the power that churned inside made him feel sick with disgust, it'd belonged to his father-!

"Peter, wait!" Ray was up next, racing after his lover.

"We have to get to him," Egon said as he and Winston got their bearings and followed in Rays wake "he doesn't know what he's saying! He's in severe shock and in possession of more power then before!"

"He was prepared to destroy himself just to save us, we're NOT giving up on him now." Winston said in determination "man's got more moxie than most recruits I've trained."

They blundered around in the forest, trying to track where Peter had run to- but the PKE meeter was going haywire, there was too much fallout from the spells explosion to get a lock on their errant team member.

* * *

As Ray was on the verge of collapsing from desperate panic, there was a loud boom and a pillar of red crackling flame lit the sky not far ahead. They ran for it, recognising that colour-

* * *

Peter's flight instincts led him on a blind run through the forest, cutting his hands on branches and bruising his knees on stones as he stumbled. He was like a beacon burning bright and something woke from its slumber, sensing him as he crashed through the undergrowth.

Finally, Peter came to a sprawling heap in a spacious clearing. Sweat dripped into his eyes and he couldn't keep a thought in place for a single second, the whole world was tilting beneath his hands.

The trees around the prone figure rustled in a non-existent breeze, voices whispering-

"A mortal one."

"He is but a child."

"Let us feed."

Peter opened his eyes, lifting his head to see a whole mess of spirits gather from the trees, then coalesce into one ragged and sickening entity. It raised a hand with claws like tree branches, swiping down at the somehow still conscious figure of Venkman.

Peter ducked, silently screaming in his head for it to get away- he didn't want it near him!

The overflow of power manifesting in him after the defeat of his father saw an outlet. Flames burst from the ground, but they were a deep crimson red and ripped through foliage without burning a single leaf. Supernatural fire...

The ghost staggered back, swiping at itself as large chunks of its legion-like body burned away. Peter scrambled back on shaky legs that could barely support him, keeping an eye on it as it bore down on him, mouth open and drooling dark, sticky sap-

Three blasts of light tore through the trees, lassoing the forest creature and hauling it back with a crash. Peter stumbled back, tripped and landed sprawled at the base of a tree. He watched in numb shock as he hauled himself to his feet, using the tree for support. His whole body shook from exhaustion, but these were definitely his friends, come to his aid once more. All this time, he'd taken this 'family' of his for granted...

There was the sound of ghost traps slamming shut and the noise cut out. He slumped against the tree, shivering from cold.

* * *

Ray sighed in shaky relief, unclipping his pack and looking over at where Peter stood. Wether he was even aware they were there was uncertain, had the power affected him?

"Careful Ray," Egon murmured "he may unintentionally release further surges of power, if what he said is true and he DOES have all of his fathers power now. If he can recognise it's you, we have a chance..."

"I know." Ray said softly, then began walking towards the tree Peter was sheltering under. It felt like the longest walk he'd ever taken.

"Peter...can you hear me?"

Peter opened his eyes, lifting his head to see Ray approaching. He'd removed his proton pack and any other equipment, offering only himself as he approached his lover.

"It's alright. We're safe now and we'll get you to madame LaVeaus right away."

Peter stared at him, struggling to make sense of anything he was saying. It all felt too surreal to him right now and he edged back a step, shaking his head to try clear it. Ray mistook this as fear and felt his stomach cramp.

"Please." Ray whispered as he closed the distance as slowly as he could. Peter stood stock still, almost unaware of Ray...

"I'll have faith enough for us both," Ray whispered so only he'd hear "please just trust me, Peter. I'm not leaving- I love you, remember?"

He held his hands out now, barely three feet from his lover. Peter looked ready to collapse, he was covered in blood and sap from the tree, his uniform torn by a hundred branches and stones.

Peter stared at the hands, seeing the parallels again. Last time an out-held hand had nearly spelled his end at his own fathers hand, but now it represented hope. And the one offering it was Ray..

Memories flooded his head. Laughter, affection, taste and touch...

So he took one final leap of faith as Ray's hands brushed his arms, stumbling into his arms and clutching handfuls of his jumpsuit as the man's warmth chased away the cold in his bones.

"Ray…" he croaked "I'm so sorry…"

"For what?" Ray whispered, holding him gently as he let his arms encircle Venkman. "you saved us."

"He hurt you." Peter hiccuped "because of me."

"Thats a standard evil guy trick, goofy." Ray said softly, stroking his back gently 'he's gone, I'm fine. You can relax, it's over now."

"Ray.." Peter hiccuped, "my Ray.."

"Always, Peter." Ray whispered, moving his uninjured hand to stroke Peter's hair.

The others approached, so Peter was soon surrounded by ALL of his friends. Hands rested on shoulders that ached from fighting back, the last of the cold faded away and Peter felt human. He gathered the strength to lift his head, open his eyes...

"At ease, my man" Winston said, nodding as he caught Venkman's eye "it's all good, you won."

"Exactly," Egon said "we're safe, thanks to your efforts, you don't have to keep fighting."

"Let's go," Ray said lovingly "We got this."

Peter nodded, closing his eyes and resting against Ray's body. He felt curiously leaden, like what little strength he had was rapidly draining out of him. He was too tired to speak, or even stay standing, so he closed his eyes and let oblivion take over.

"Peter, are you- ack!" Ray yelped as Peter suddenly blacked out, his grip loosening as he went limp like a rag-doll. He quickly knelt down, checking his pulse.

"He's unconscious, I guess he wore himself out." he said shakily and Egon looked about to faint with relief. He removed his glasses, swiping a sleeve over his face, skin streaked with dirt and minor scratches.

"Let's get him out of here," Winston said "tear arse back to the RV and head for New Orleans!"

Ray stumbled along after Winston, who was carrying Peter as if weighed next to nothing. The man remained unconscious and didn't even stir as he was set down on his bed.

* * *

Egon recovered Peter's proton pack, then they put the pedal to the metal to finish their journey asap.

* * *

Ray cut away sections of Peter's uniform, cleaning and bandaging as many of the cuts and scrapes as he could. Egon rummaged in the cupboards, bringing bowls of water and helping Ray shred a spare shirt of Stantz's to use as makeshift bandages.

Egon reattached the IV bag as Ray worked on cleaning the remaining cuts, hoping the little left in it would help Peter.

"Is it over?" Ray said with a hiccup as he sat back, their meagre supply of aid items (actual and makeshift) cleaned out.

"I hope so, that monster of a father is destroyed, Peter's alive...all we can do is work to make the variables fall in our favour. We'll figure this out, Ray."

Peter stirred before Ray could answer, uttering a low moan of pain. They fell silent, unsure how he was going to react…

-Who am I? Where am I?- the man thought, wincing as he opened his eyes to bright blazing lights overhead. Two faces came into focus, one kindly and soft, the other serious and slim. They were sat beside his bed, scattered boxes and torn fabric around them.

"Can you hear us?" The kind one asked and the man thought something was familiar about him but...he couldn't recall…

"Who...are you?" he asked and both men switched from concerned to horrified.

"W-what do you mean? You know who we are, Peter!" the serious one said, adjusting his glasses.

The name didn't sound quite right either.

"Peter?" the dazed man asked "W-who's Peter? M'names….i-i think its Toby?"

"Oh no." The kind one said, looking about ready to hyperventilate.

"This is bad!" serious one said, fidgeting with a machine he held in his hands that was beeping and flashing.

The kind one looked about ready to cry, and surprised the man by kneeling beside where he lay...and kissing him. He tensed up at first, but that faint thread of familiarity began to weave a memory-

"Maybe try some sedatives-" Egon blinked as Ray chanced kissing the addled Peter, but it WORKED. Peter's eyes fluttered closed and he lifted one bandaged hand to grip Ray's sleeve weakly as the kiss ended.

Ray held his breath, praying he'd triggered something in Peters memory. Peters eyes opened slowly, and he focused on the familiar man kneeling above him.

"R...ray?" Peter croaked, his head clearing now, snatches of reality filling the gaps. This was Ray. HIS Ray.

The other...was Egon. He dimly wondered if Egon knew why Ray was kissing him?

"Hey, you know this guy?" he indicated Ray "he's adorable. Also, mine."

Then he passed out.

"I have no explanation for that." Ray felt himself chuckle weakly. Egon's hand patted his shoulder silently, then the doctor left.

"Oh thank goodness." Ray wiped his eyes as he watched Peter sleep "we're almost there, Peter, just hold on OK?"

* * *

"How much further?" Egon asked Winston as he reached the front of the RV.

"About another hour or two. How's Pete?"

"Fluctuating. He just woke up and asked who we were, Ray and I. He seemed convinced, albeit briefly, that he was the 'other him' his father alluded to." Egon informed him, seeing Winston go pale.

"Aw hell no, tell me that ass of a father of his didn't mess with his head?"

"I fear the encounter may have caused some overlap. He seemed to recover a little after Ray kissed him, so I guess the contact helps. We won't know what the damage is until we get to Madame LaVeau's."

"Geez, I can't believe his father set all this up just to catch Pete. Lying, kidnapping, drugging, and then there's that pervert that he paid to manipulate him into bed!"

"I wonder if, had I known more about Peter, would I have seen the warning signs?" Egon asked after a pause as he sat in the passenger seat, tucking his knees under him.

"You cant start thinking about that sort of thing Egon," Winston shook his head "You may be a genius, but you're not omnipresent. Im guessing it stems from his muddled childhood, but Peter just wasn't given much reason to trust the world at large, so he kept it at arms length. But, when it comes to a certain member of our team, I think thats changing.."

Egon managed a faint smile "I've only seen glimpses, but the way he looks at Ray, he actually seems pretty...happy."

Winston looked back out at the road, silence falling a moment before Egon piped up again.

"You seem oddly unfazed by all this."

"By all what?"

"By.." Egon coughed and in a momentary glance, Winston seen Spengler was actually turning slightly RED "by half the people you work with either dating each other or their long-lost university friends!"

Winston chuckled, Egon's flustered response was a rare sight for the normally unemotional polymath.

"Well, like I said that day in the park; it's not something I'm into, but it doesn't mean I need to be an ass about to those that do. Besides, Ive known you guys for years, this changes nothing. Peter always flirted with anything that had a pulse, and I always thought you'd stumble across somebody who can compete with your research for your affections, someday."

Egon went red again, drumming his fingers on his thighs.

"Everyone deserves to be happy, thats what my ma always taught me. It aint our place to judge, y'know? You do you, to quote an old buddy of mine."

"That sounds impossible. And weird."

"Are you covering innuendo duty while Pete's unconscious?" Winston asked, trying so hard not to laugh. Egon blinked at him, scrunching his nose in confusion as Winston shook his head.

But the brief levity couldn't last, as they heard a faint moan of pain from the back. It was backed up by Ray's distant, soothing tones and soon things fell silent again.

"Not much longer, buddy," Winston murmured as he checked the map "just hang on, Pete."

* * *

Madame laveau sat with a cup of tea before her, eyes closed as she listened to the spirits around her.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes and summoned her assistant, a man named Thibodeaux.

"Go have the staff prepare one of the state rooms right away, we have a guest incoming who needs urgent care." she said "I sense many injuries that will need tending to, I will need my books."

Thibodeaux nodded, he'd long since learned not to second guess Marie LaVeau's intuition. If she said guests were coming, he would prepare for such.

* * *

Barely had he finished fetching what she requested then there was a heavy knocking on the door. It'd begun to rain in the interim and stood on the steps was a soaked young man with glasses, that looked very familiar.

"Dr Spengler of the Ghostbusters, correct?" Marie said as she stepped into view. Egon looked at her, eyes wide behind his glasses.

"Madame LaVeau, we need your help, urgently-!"

"I know child, bring your injured one in here."

Egon gestured to the bulky RV parked down the drive. It shut off and two figures emerged, one of them carrying a human-sized shape wrapped in a blanket.

The spirits had hinted at a casualty, but even Marie drew a sharp breath as she caught a glimpse of the pale, drained figure Winston carried.

* * *

She stepped close as Thibodeaux clsoed the door behind their guests, brushing her hand over Peters forehead. He flinched in his sleep, uttering a faint sound of pain.

"This is bad," she whispered "he's very weak."

"He's been like this for a few hours," Winston said "we drove here as fast as we could, may have annoyed the local cops by using the siren on the van."

"Don't fret about it, I shall clear any misunderstandings." Marie swept the issue aside "your friend is the priority."

She guided them upstairs to a comfortable state room. On the bed, a thick cotton sheet had been laid atop the bed, no doubt to soak up any blood as she patched Peter up.

Winston set Peter down atop the bed, removing the rain-soaked blanket, which one of the staff took to set before the fire. She tutted in sympathy as she seen the cuts and scrapes Ray had fixed up already and the others they hadn't had bandages enough to cover. The man's uniform was slashed and soaked, blood, dirt and ectoplasm from the tree ghost staining it beyond recovery.

* * *

Marie's assistant stood by the door, closing it behind the staff as they left, so only the remaining Ghostbusters plus Marie and the unconscious Peter were left.

"These injuries, they all but scream arcane forces.." Marie murmured, checking for any broken bones. Satisfied there weren't any and Peter's injuries were mostly cuts and scrapes, she sat down and opened a basket that had been set by the side of the bed.

"We encountered a monster. He had magic, lots of it, more than enough to control a platoon of ghosts to keep us from stopping his plans." Egon said tersely "Peter, he- he took the chance it might kill him, all so he could take him down."

He took his glasses off, his fingers so cold he didn't even notice when he dropped them. His head ached and he sighed softly "he nearly died trying to save the rest of us."

"Spengs, please don't tell me you're blaming yourself for this- that a-hole was-"

"He was RIGHT, Winston!" Egon hissed back, voice cracking just a fraction "If I hadn't insisted we stop every time we got a signal, we-"

"We probably would've run into him anyway, or some of his flunkeys. You heard him, Egon, he wasn't going to let Peter get to New Orleans. He was convinced Peter was a piece of property he had to reclaim, because he was family-"

"It troubles me to hear so," Marie said as she uncapped a bottle of some unknown mixture and soaked a cloth in it. "that his own blood relative would commit such cruelties."

Ray was surprised by how calm she seemed, given how wild the story sounded.

"He was a monster, and he was taken down as such. He's gone now, but Peter is..." he felt about to be sick "he's forgetting who he is, who WE are."

Marie shook her head as she pressed the cloth to a cut on Peter's head. He flinched, uttering an uneasy moan.

"Easy now, child." Marie said softly as she watched him, setting a hand over his wrist and pressing lightly "we're not your enemy. This is a safe place."

Peter relaxed, sinking back into his exhausted slumber. Marie paused as she seen the scarring on his wrists, examining it closely and frowning sadly as she shook her head.

"He attempted to hurt this one once already, but it failed?" She said aloud.

"Yeah, we stormed the hideout where his crazy little cult had taken Peter and destroyed the ritual. We were too late to stop them hurtin' him bad." Winston sighed. "It took weeks for him to recover.."

Egon, still convinced the encounter could've been avoided if HE'D just paid better attention, turned to leave but forgot he'd removed his glasses. He didn't even come close to the door, slamming face-first into the wall.

"Man, what're you trying to do?" Winston asked, grabbing Egon's shoulders and steadying him before he fell over.

"Who moved the door?!" Egon blurted.

Ray spotted Egon's glasses where they'd almost skittered under the bed. He scooped them up, walking over and plopping them back on his face. Egon looked like Ray felt; exhausted, cracking at the seams and in need of reassurance.

"The only one to blame here is that a-hole father of Peter's. If you hadn't told Winston to pull over, I likely would have. We're Ghostbusters, we bust ghosts. Its in our nature, and job description. Along with every infomercial we've ever made…" he squeezed Spengler's arm kindly "theres no cause to blame yourself for that. I doubt simply ignoring that signal would've held him off for long, Winston is right, he was hellbent on catching us somehow."

Egon opened his mouth, paused, then fell silent. Finally, he nodded. "Thank you, Ray.." He said softly.

"It's fine." Ray assured him.

"Yeah, Ray's right. This isn't the first time a ghost has been used as a lure, remember that ghost from my military days? He used a kids ghost because he knew I couldn't turn my back on an innocent child." Winston shook his head "ghosts can be jackasses, just like the living. End of."

Marie listened to them talk as she tended to the open wounds on Peter's body, the poultice she was applying would clean the wounds and encourage healing. But this was just the start. She raised her head, catching the eye of he loyal servant, who'd been watching the fella with the glasses, wondering if they'd need another first aid? He turned his attention to Marie now, silently awaiting her request.

"Could you fetch some clean clothes, I'm afraid I will need to further rend this uniform to access the deeper injuries." Marie looked at her assistant, who nodded. He could guess Venkman's measurements, he was fairly lean..

Marie looked at the other three Ghostbusters, sensing their worry.

"You boys should rest, you've had a long trip. You're safe here, you've done your part in bringing this poor soul to me. He will requite significant care and you are all exhausted."

Winston didn't say a word, just grabbed Egon's collar and pretty much towed him out of the room. From there, a maid showed them to where they could sleep.

* * *

Marie heard two of the three leave as she turned back to Peter, but one remained.

"You will not rest?" she asked.

"No, ma'am." Ray said, massaging his aching wrist, it still hurt from the fight "I promised him I'd stay with him, so if I can help, I will. Otherwise I'll just sit and wait, but I can't leave him."

She turned to him now, smiling kindly.

"You have very strong feelings for him, don't you child? Neither of you were aware the last time we met."

"Yeah," Ray blushed despite his exhaustion "we, well…it only happened recently. I just want to tell him I love him..but what if he doesn't-?"

Marie got up then, seeing the poor young man on the verge of crying. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Don't be saddened, we will heal his injuries and you will be able to tell him. Love is a powerful medicine in its own right and he will need a steady supply. Rest your feet, he will need your kindness very soon."

Ray sat down on Peter's other side, lacing his fingers in Peter's and squeezing his hand lightly.

He asked Marie if she needed help but she just shook her head for the first wave. Once she'd finished patching Peter's physical injuries, slicing the jumpsuit almost beyond recognition, she summoned one of the staff and whispered something to her. The girl nodded, bobbing her head and darting away.

"I have asked she fetch the special soup I brewed earlier. It will help restore his spirit and give him a peaceful sleep. But I'm afraid we must waken him to ensure he consumes it."

She pulled a bottle from her sleeve, uncapping it and waving it close to Peter's face. He groaned uneasily, faint twitches running through him as he struggled to make his body obey. Thinking ahead, Ray gently wrapped an arm around him, letting the semi-conscious Venkman rest against his chest.

* * *

For a moment it was like waking back up in the hospital, he was wrapped in warmth, there were people nearby and someone was holding him. He almost drifted asleep again, then his memories came flashing back and he felt a jolt of panic run through his exhausted body. He forced his eyes open, trying to rally what little strength he had to escape. His father was- Ray and the others were in danger-!

"Ray-!" He gasped weakly as he pushed against whoever restrained him now, still in pain but it was much duller. He gripped the sheets, trying to make his vision focus properly. Where was he? Had his father won? Was he a prisoner?

Then lips brushed his, the short, brief kiss silencing the alarm bells in his head. Only one person could kiss him like that...

The one holding him drew back to let him see their face.

"Ray?" Peter said weakly as his vision cleared enough to let him see that this WAS his Raymond. He lifted one shaking hand to press it to Ray's cheek, relief flooding him when this didn't turn out to be an illusion.

Ray nodded, letting Peter rest against him once more as he caught his breath, hand dropping back to his lap..Venkman didn't know how or why, but they'd escaped the forest, arrived...wherever here was. He was alive, his father was….gone?

"The others?" he asked now "that monster?".

"They're fine." Ray assured him "we're all fine. And he's gone Peter, he's gone."

"Where are we?" Peter croaked, feeling about to crack into a million pieces but he was too tired to break down. He felt Ray kiss his forehead gently, further reassuring him it was over.

"We're at madame LaVeau's. You're alright, she's patching you up. Theres some medicine you need to take, then you can sleep as much as you like."

"Can she...get rid of this power? I don't want to become a monster like my father..." Peter said weakly, too exhausted to move, otherwise he'd have asked the lady herself.

"You wont, Peter." Ray assured him and Peter smiled weakly, then nuzzled against his lover's neck, starting to drift asleep. He'd saved his friends, they were free...

Ray gently nudged him awake as the girl returned with the soup Marie had requested. Only then did Marie approach the side of the bed where Peter was curled against Ray's chest. He started slightly upon seeing her, but with the warmth of Ray's embrace, he didn't feel panicked.

"Drink this, young man." Marie said gently, pressing a ceramic mug filled with a delicious smelling something into his hands.

Peter took a tentative sip, feeling his stomach stir at the rich taste of it. He let himself lapse into a semi-aware state, focusing his energy on drinking the liquid, the rest of his limited awareness on the warmth of Ray's body.

Marie studied the exhausted Venkman, a worried frown on her face, as if she could read the twisted story his silence hid. Once he'd managed to finish the herbal remedy soup, Ray let him lie back down, stroking Peter's hair back from his face and promising him everything'd be alright. Peter smiled very weakly, then fell back into a deep, much needed sleep.


	11. Protector

Ray sat in pensive silence for a moment, a million things jostling for space in his head as he lightly stroked Peter's hair. But no answers could be found, he was too worn out and besieged by relief.

His wrist ached as he stood and he faintly recalled a ghostly hand gripping it so tightly it hurt-

"What is it?" Marie asked as she seen Ray wince.

"Nothing major, I sprained my wrist." Ray said with an immediate, calming smile, but he got the feeling she wasn't fooled.

But that was the moment when Marie's assistant returned with some clean clothes for Venkman and Marie got to her feet, nodding to Ray.

"I will leave this task to you, young man. Come find me when you're finished, I wish to speak with you."

Seeing Ray nod, then glance worriedly at Peter, she assured him Venkman would sleep a solid seven hours or more, she'd mixed the soup just right.

Then, they were gone and it was just Ray and Peter, the former worried sick, the latter fast asleep and blissfully unaware.

Ray quickly and gently changed his friends clothing, depositing the torn uniform in the trash bin in the corner once he was done. He placed an affectionate kiss on Peter's lips as he drew the covers up over him, murmuring that he'd 'not be far away', then he left.

* * *

The others were sitting in the main room drinking tea when Ray arrived. It seemed that, despite being exhausted, they both wanted to give their POV on what'd happened. Egon scooted over so Ray could join them, with the end result of him on one side and Winston on the other. This seemed to cheer Ray up a little and he gave them both brief, reassuring smiles.

"Tell me the whole story, please. When did this all begin?" Marie asked them as a whole. Ray felt the presence of his friends, sensed them giving the opening stage to him. He took a deep breath and began…

"It started with this guy- I guess he was an Ex of sorts- of Peter's..."

Time passed as the three Ghostbusters took turns in telling her the whole story from the start to the current day. From Ivan's deception, to the ritual, to the final encounter with Peter's father.

Marie's eyes widened in genuine surprise when she heard the Ashwood name in the story, but waited until it had all been told before speaking. She sighed in sympathy when she watched Ray tell the part where they'd stopped a tree spirit from killing Peter, then talk him down from his frantic state.

"Well, this is quite the surprise." She said at last, the room felt crowded with the weight of the entire tale. She closed her eyes, hearing the spirits at the edge of her consciousness. Even they offered vibes of concern and fear over the old clan...

"You know that name, don't you." Egon said matter-of-factly, getting a nod in return. When she opened her eyes, he seen a grave concern there.

"I do indeed and I do not kid when I say this is VERY serious. That name..prior to your story, I would have said it impossible that they could be so active." she murmured.

"Why's that?" Ray asked, looking strung out. How much worse was this gonna get?!

"The Ashwood family has a long history, but it is not a pleasant or particularly noble one towards its 'end'. They were assumed vanished, or at least to be operating deep below the laws that govern magic. A wide held belief is that they perished after a fight against a combined gathering of other families. Towards the end, they leaned heavily towards arcane or forbidden arts, thus drawing the ire of others who did not trust such arcane curiosity. For a time, they were held in high esteem, they worked with others to decode dangerous spells and keep arcane forces from wiping whole settlements off the map. But as the saying goes, absolute power corrupts absolutely..."

"That's creepy, and kinda trippy…but what does this have to do with Peter?" Ray said anxiously, hands clenching tightly atop his lap. Marie gave Ray a kind look, as if understanding his unspoken defence of Venkman.

"Don't fret. He may have Ashwood blood, but I can tell that there is little of their malice in him." she assured him "there is much about him I would like to know, but that is best saved for another time."

"I'm not sure how much more he can take," Ray murmured now, shoulders slumping again "he just wants it all to end, I see it in his eyes."

"He is stronger then you know, stronger than even he knows himself. He has you three, so prospects are good that he will be able to come to grips with this inheritance, so long as he chooses to allow it." Marie told the three Ghostbusters "but, if as you say, he HAS inherited magic from an elder mage, then there are people I must summon here."

"Whoa, whoa whoa..." Winston said suddenly, as this last point sunk in "hold it there, ma'am. With all due respect, Peter's been scarred enough, is letting a bunch more people know he's descended from a family of magical nut-jobs really fair on him?"

Egon nodded silently, gripping his teacup tightly. "I don't think he can take being pinned under a microscope like some rare species of butterfly."

"He wont let them get close." Ray said sombrely, thinking of how unsettled Peter was already. This sounded like a bad idea.

Marie nodded, expression kind "I understand your anger, boys, but this concerns his wellbeing. I lack the skills to corral such potent magic, none of my knowledge will be effective this time. The sooner I can contact them, the sooner we can start helping that poor man."

"If they propose to try anything, I highly suggest they tell us first." Egon said; which Ray translated as 'I want every detail so they don't try anything funny.' He shot Egon a grateful look, who nodded minutely in return.

"Someone better warn 'em Pete's liable to fight them if they try to restrain him in any way. I've seen how much that guy'll fight when he's angry- trust me, it's for their own safety not to push their luck." Winston added "you know the saying- a cornered animal is the most dangerous."

Ray flashed back to how staunchly Peter had fought against his kidnappers, refusing to go quietly. He never gave up, it was part of what Ray loved about him…

"I will need to make some calls to an old contact of mine, I will let you know when and if they are on their way. For now, let him acclimatise to things first."

"He'll listen to YOU, Ray." Winston agreed. "He knows you're only doing what's best for him."

"Treasure it, I don't think anyone else has ever managed such a feat." Egon said wryly and Ray managed a weak chuckle. He lifted a hand to run it through his hair, a reflexive action when he was frustrated- but his injured wrist twinged sharply and he cursed softly. Marie got up and walked over to him, taking his wrist in her hands and pushing his sleeve out of the way. Winston grimaced as he seen the swelling and bruising beneath, how had Ray not felt that?

"This is no mere sprain," Marie said knowingly, before crossing the room to select some supplies from a cupboard "I appreciate that you could not leave your friend until you were certain he was safe, but you need to look after yourself."

She questioned the other two, but neither reported any injury more serious than a cut or two. Most of the 'damage' had been to their mental states, and that would require a nights sleep to fully process.

Ray let himself be patched up, then Marie dispatched them all to bed, saying they'd done all they could for the time being. Ray didn't say a word as he practically shambled along behind the other two, causing them to slow and tuck a hand into either elbow, steering him along with them.

* * *

Ray's room was next door to where Peter slept, which made him feel a little better. He'd be right there if Peter woke in the night…

"He'll be fine." Egon said bluntly as he opened the door to Ray's room and all but shoved him inside "sleep."

Ray nodded, hearing the door click shut behind him as the others footsteps' faded away down the hall. He shed his dirtied clothes for the clean nightwear he'd brought, then crawled into bed. After all the running, worrying and fighting they'd been doing; the bedsheets felt like bliss and he fell asleep after only a few minutes.

Sadly, his brain's efforts to parse the events of the day manifested in the form of twisted dreams, images assailing him until a deeper sleep finally came calling.

* * *

In those dreams, the same thing played out over and over. A horde of figures in robes surrounded Peter, refusing to let Ray get to him. Ray fought and scratched, shouting Peter's name over and over but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get closer… They spoke in a flowing river of words, only a few of which could he understood by the terrified Stantz. Things like 'monster' and 'a threat to everyone.' and 'for his own good' and most chilling of all; 'de-powered.'

But a deeper, more necessary sleep took over, drawing Ray down to its soothing void.

* * *

Even with the deep oblivion of exhausted sleep, Ray woke in a cold sweat regardless, heart racing as fragments of those dreams lingered in the forefront of his mind. Grabbing a drink of water, he ventured next door to check on Peter.

Venkman was still sleeping and he looked at peace for the moment, which made Ray feel a little better as he finally returned to his own bed. But further sleep was not forthcoming and a glance at the clock told him it was time for breakfast anyway. In a strange bout of habit he headed for the kitchen- only to realise that, obviously, they had their own cook.

* * *

"Morning, Ray." Winston said he drifted into the kitchen. Egon followed close behind, eyes lighting up as he spotted the freshly baked muffins.

"Hey.." Ray put together a smile by sheer willpower alone.

"How is Peter?" Egon asked, instinctively knowing Ray would have dropped in to see him already.

"Still sleeping. He looks a little better..."

"Not to worry," the cook said as she set some plates on the counter beside the stove "the Madame will have him on his feet soon. Now, who's hungry?"

"Let me introduce you to a stomach on legs- we call him Egon." Winston said dryly.

"Challenge accepted," the cook laughed "I'm no stranger to a big appetite!"

* * *

Ray surprised himself and everyone else present by just how hungry he was.

"Good grief Ray, where do you store all that?" Winston chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. Ray just shrugged and Egon smiled faintly.

"Thats what Peter said when we went to the gym, 'where are you storing all those cupcakes, brainiac?!'. Then he started snickering as he undoubtedly thought of some crude reference, but of course I ignored him."

Ray giggled before he could help it, he immediately knew what Peter's amusement was centred on. Egon stared at him with a look of mild despair that only made Ray laugh harder.

"He's a bad influence on you." Spengler huffed, while Winston snickered shamelessly into his coffee.

Just as they were finishing up, Marie entered the cosy kitchen and greeted them all warmly and asking if they had slept well?

They all nodded, with Ray's being slightly delayed as his still sleepy brain tried to absorb his coffee as fast as it could. Marie seemed to spot this and smiled sympathetically.

"I'm going to change your young mans bandages, would you care to accompany me?"

It was just deserts for the snickering, Egon mused, seeing Ray blush at how candid Marie was.

"O-of course." Ray nodded, getting out of his chair and thanking the cook before hurrying after Marie. Egon heard his voice, offering to carry the box of medical supplies, then the door shut behind them.

"It is not often you see devotion like that." the cook smiled as Ray left. Egon blinked at her, did that mean she knew? She caught his eye and winked, and he understood that to be a yes.

This reminded him of Janine and he smiled, hoping everyone was OK back home?

* * *

Ray sat on one side of Venkman's sleeping form while Marie took the other, holding his hand as she changed the bandages on the more serious cuts and abrasions. Already, however, they'd healed up faster than Ray knew such things to do. He silently marvelled at the extent of Marie's knowledge, it was incredible!

Marie snuck a quick glance across the bed to where Ray was sat, holding the patient's hand gently in both of his as he studied the slumbering man's face. He looked pale and tired, but beneath the emotional exhaustion was a layer of genuine love. She believed the patient could sense what was going on around him, so having a familiar hand to hold his made a big difference, bigger than most would assume.

In the fresh morning light, Ray seen the bruises that peeked out from the collar and sleeves of Peter's borrowed clothing and his heart thudded heavily in his chest. Flashbacks to seeing Peter's madman of a father throw his son to one side like he was a mere rag-doll sent shivers up his spine. How was Peter descended from THAT? Ray's knowledge of Peter was of a passionate but gentle man, all fierce kisses, warm skin and a flirty edge that made his knees go weak at times. He couldn't reconcile any traits from the monster they'd confronted only a day ago with his seductive, stubborn best friend.

* * *

Once Peter's injuries had been treated and Ray was left alone by his bedside with a book perched on his lap, Marie sought out Egon next. He hadn't gone far, being distracted by a bookcase that stood out in the hall, holding a batch of old journals from both herself and her ancestors.

"You are welcome to peruse any material you see," she smiled as Spengler flushed guiltily, the young man clearly had a thirst for knowledge that was worthy of encouragement. "But if I might borrow you for a moment before you dive in?"

"Of course," Egon wouldn't turn down the chance to talk with her, Marie was a living marvel at over 200 years old and still blazingly intelligent. He followed her to the same room they'd been in before, settling himself in a cosy armchair, one of those types that seemed to completely envelop you. He absently wondered if he could get himself a chair like this for his study..?

"What can I help you with?" he asked, clearing the thought from his mind as she sat down opposite him, hands folded on her lap.

She smiled comfortingly "Its nothing serious young sir, I merely wished to ask about the gris-gris I gave you. I get the impression it was able to bring you and someone very special closer."

Egon flushed subtly as he thought about Eugene, how unashamedly happy and free he felt when he was around him. He felt himself fidget and had to will himself to keep still as he replied;

"Yes, a reaper spirit asked for it in exchange for giving my long-lost friend Eugene his body back. I have been unable to figure out why-"

"Because it represented the strength of your bond." Marie said immediately and with such ease that it, made Egon blink vacantly.

"How?" he asked, after collecting his wits "Eugene and I, we uh...we did not start intimacy of any kind until days after his revival, how could it have known that in advance? I very nearly messed the whole thing up, after all."

-Ok, stop right there before you really embarrass yourself!- his brain drawled sarcastically and he groaned internally. Suddenly the floor became oh-so-interesting...

"It did not know the future, but it understood the potential it held. That, plus your dedication to your friend was enough to earn its respect, so it gleaned those feelings instead of your friends soul." This made enough sense to Egon that he really had no response. Seemingly endless years of wishing he could have saved Eugene...it made sense the reaper had been able to see it. Marie smiled gently at him, little seemed to truly surprise her. After 200 years, was that really that unusual?

He nodded at last, still staring a hole in the rich carpet whilst also thinking how happy Eugene had been when it'd sunk in he could have that second chance after all. How he'd hugged Egon tightly, thanking him over and over...

"He's the reason I got into the paranormal, I hated that id seen him vanish before my eyes yet could do nothing to bring him back. It was frustrating to see him denied his life when it wasn't his fault-" he trailed off, he was getting carried away "my apologies, I did not intend to be so overzealous."

"No, no child. I'm smiling because I can see the difference in you."

"You can?" Egon was surprised, he didn't think he'd changed since he'd begun relations with Eugene. He looked at his reflection in the teacups polished sides, seeing only his usual skinny and unremarkable face, glasses perpetually perched on his nose.

"It's not a physical change," Marie leaned across and patted his hand to get his attention "it's the difference in the way you smile, the way you hold yourself. You seem lighter, not so weighed down by the world."

"I see, that makes sense." Egon nodded as she settled back in her chair "Winston and I were discussing how a similar change seemed visible in Peter, before all this nasty stuff happened. He'd been smiling so much more, he wasn't trying to distract everyone from seeing his personal feelings like he usually does."

"I suspect he finds it hard to trust others, but that young Ray is a remarkable fellow. It's rare you see belief in the world as powerful as his."

"Yes, Ray is an eternal optimist. Peter used to clash with him, but Ray almost always won, which I suspect Venkman admires, even if he has never said so."

"You young ones dabble in what most would fear to even mention. Having something good to hold onto can make all the difference. To fight darkness is a brave act that requires strong will, but it also places you at risk of being targeted."

"As too well I know, regrettably. We've had a council of spirits known as 'The Collectors' after us, sicked upon us by a man we encountered back in our earlier years. In addition to that, various vengeful demons and even some humans have called us their enemies as well. Winston was abducted by the ghost of his former instructor, Ray was nearly used to summon Gozer AGAIN, the list goes on a fair way. Even I must concede that there is an entity after me that will return sooner or later: the Sandman."

Marie's eyebrows rose; she was familiar with the tale but to hear this young man speak so easily about it piqued her interest. "Sandman? My my, I have heard many variations of this legend, but actually facing it? Would you mind telling me of this creature? Its rare I hear of something so ancient..."

Egon nodded happily, settling back into his chair as he began explaining…

* * *

Upstairs meanwhile, Peter was stirring. Sleepy eyes opened once again on the unfamiliar ceiling he'd been alarmed by just last night. But something itching at the corner of his mind told him this was safe. More detail flooded his mind as he slowly adjusted.

He was in a luxurious double bed, swamped by warm blankets and all topped by a fancy cover. Phantom echoes of pain called out from various points on his body, a faint sensation that there'd been far worse pain before, but it was gone now.

Cautiously, he moved his head, gazing around at the large room before his eyes settled on a figure dozing in a chair by his bed. Raymond.

Slowly, Peter sat himself up, even as this caused the room to spin briefly, and he felt the twinges of various bandaged wounds scolding him with every shift. Slowly, he moved himself as close to the beds edge as he could, reaching a hand out to squeeze the man's knee lightly..

"Ray?" he asked, and upon seeing the man's eyelids flutter open he sighed in relief.

"Peter?!" Ray snapped awake as he recognised the figure sitting before him, felt the warmth of the hand on his thigh. His gaze examined Peter from head to toe in an instant, making Peter's heart pick up. Ray was so sincere, so sweet…

"Are you- how are you feeling?" Ray's eyes moved up to his again now, hope and worry battling for dominance. He scooted the chair as close to the edge of the bed as he could, gaze never leaving Peter.

"I'm...I-I don't really know." Peter said at last, sitting up on the bed properly, his attempted "I'm fine" lie dying as he seen Ray's concerned face "most of me hurts in one way or another and I feel like I was hit by a truck-"

He looked down at himself, confusion flooding his face as he patted his hands over the unfamiliar garments. "What uh...what happened to my clothes? Don't get me wrong, totally glad I didn't wake up naked again, once is bad enough after a night out, but-"

"Oh! I threw them out, they were wrecked," Ray said apologetically, even as he tried not to laugh at Peter's ramblings "also, it was me that changed your clothes, i-if you're wondering?"

"That's a relief. You, I'm happy to have undress me ANYTIME." Peter managed a weak smile along with the innuendo, scooting to the beds edge again and holding out an arm to Stantz. Getting the idea, Ray gathered him in his arms and supported Peter against his chest. With his arms gently encasing Venkman, Ray felt how much thinner Peter seemed then a few days ago, and he worried that the magic was burning up what little the man was ingesting.

Ray made a note to speak to Madame Laveau, but for now he just rubbed Peter's back gently, nuzzling him sweetly. He could still smell traces of smoke and fire on his lover's tousled, rumpled hair, it was on Peter's skin too. The scent of battle, of despair...

By this point Peter was half on the bed, half on his lap and it was such a relief to hug him, to see him wake…

Peter was shaking just a little, so Ray rubbed his back and reassured him he was alright. He was safe here, his father was long gone. At the mention of his dad, Peter shivered heavily..

"Did I imagine it all, Ray?" Peter asked as they parted, fear flickering in his eyes while Ray stroked his hair "or did I really condemn my own father to the spirit world?"

Ray shook his head, sadly. "I don't know- the others and I were unconscious during that point, we only woke in time to see you awake and alive...we didn't see what happened after that spell blew up."

-So he doesn't know...- again, Peter felt that fearful darkness lay a clawed hand on his shoulder, the same fear that'd planted the doubt that Ray wouldn't want to touch him if he knew what'd happened after the ritual…

"Peter? What is it?" Ray was no fool, he caught the all-too-familiar fear in Venkman's eyes and knew something was wrong.

Peter flinched, fruitlessly looking away from Ray even as his breathing began picking up the pace. But he needed to tell Ray what he'd done…

"Peter- we, you- you don't have to talk about it-" Ray patted his leg through the covers, hastily smiling-

But Peter shook his head and despite the panic on his face, Ray got the impression Venkman NEEDED to get this off his chest. So he stroked Peter's hair reassuringly, letting strands of soft brown hair slip through his fingers. Although Peter's gaze was aimed in his direction, his eyes seemed to be focused on something far away. At last he spoke, tilting his head to briefly brush a kiss against Ray's palm as Stantz toyed with his hair.

"It exploded- I didn't know what'd happen, I-"

Ray let his palm rest against Peter's cheek and Venkman sighed happily, closing his eyes and revelling in the contact.

"It's OK, take it slow Peter..."

"It was that circle- the one from Egon's book. The one I started drawing- it all just came together when my father threatened to kill you all. I don't know how I knew to use it- I mean, maybe it was part of the complete memory package, maybe it was blind luck? Perhaps that's what made those chains, I was holding the necklace...a-and suddenly there were chains..."

"Necklace- oh! The Metal Witch one?" Ray looked at Peter's neck, just that second realising he was no longer wearing it. "Those chains were from that?!"

Peter nodded, "I couldn't let him escape, and chains just came to mind. I figured if I could keep him in one place for just long enough to hit him with SOMETHING- I begged those ghosts he was using as slaves to help me, to turn on him. Thats when the spell just...exploded. I thought it was gonna take me out too, but suddenly there was a grey light and- faces? I'm not sure..."

Ray nodded patiently, storing all this away for future discussion with the others. For now, he just let Peter ramble, snatches of coherent detail mixed up with fevered recollections.

"They took his magic away, then, Ray. T-the ghosts, they straight up tore it out-" he shuddered as he relived that moment, stomach feeling like it'd been hollowed out "I thought they were done- they'd gotten their revenge- but suddenly they turn on ME, chanting something about not letting father keep his magic, that as a direct heir I was suitable- Ray, does this make me a murderer? The last thing I seen was the ghosts dragging him away- I did nothing to stop them, I let them take him-!"

He began to hyperventilate as his memory began coming back faster and faster-

"Peter Venkman!" Ray said sternly, making Peter look at him, eyes wide with panic "first; you saved all of US, plus the world at large, by doing what you did. Second; your father was manipulating magic for evil intent, he must have known it would be the end of him sooner or later. That it had to be you is cruel, but I bet your mother would be proud of you."

Peter blinked, surprised by how much insight was in those few sentences. Ray smiled kindly, rubbing the back of Peter's neck in gentle circles, his warm touch making Peter's muscles unknot themselves just a fraction.

"I haven't been reading your books again, I just KNOW that that's the truth, Peter. You faced him alone and tricked a trickster..you're a hero."

"You're adorable." Peter whispered, letting his forehead rest against Ray's as exhausted tears stung his eyes "but I'm pretty sure I'm a monster, Ray. I'm HIM now-"

"No!" Ray pulled back, regarding Peter almost angrily "you are nothing of the sort, stop that right now!"

Peter was startled briefly, Ray rarely ever raised his voice that way…

"You said they found you suitable, suitable for what?" Ray asked, that part of Peter's story had snagged in his mind, what did it mean?

Peter sighed heavily, backing away from Ray, arms wrapped around his knees as he hunched up, mind and body aching to return to Ray's warm, safe embrace.

But he had to finish this.

"I thought I'd done it, that he was disabled and we could lock him up- but instead, I see ghosts conducting a court of vengeance and one of them tore his magic right out of him, it looked like a glowing ball."

Ray winced automatically, the idea of anything being ripped out of anywhere was unnerving.

"I thought they'd take it- an eye for an eye and all that crap. Instead, they forced it on ME, Ray."

"What?!" Ray felt a sting of anger, but also confusion "That doesn't make any sense!"

He flashed back to Peter insisting they keep their distance, how convinced he'd been that this magic would try to hunt them. Then he'd run, almost getting lost in the woods...He snapped back to the present as he heard Peter's scratchy, aching voice.

"It makes perfect sense, Ray. They tore away his magic as punishment to HIM, then made it mine to bear that corruptive power."

"No, that cant be-!-" Ray tried to think of a reason why "Maybe they couldn't send it anywhere else, imagine if it detonated like a bomb? I don't know anything about magic, but- remember how Egon always said how despite its relatively mobile size, the proton pack could easily wipe a small state off the map? Its probably the same thing-"

He trailed off weakly as Peter shook his head, he seemed convinced by his theory "I tried to stop them- I begged them, but they just forced the power into my body and dissipated." he sighed "It's obvious Raymond- they wanted to punish the son as much as the father."

Ray's eyes blurred with worried tears as Peter seemed so fatalistic, why had the ghosts said that to him? Why HAD they done it? Unable to bear it, he sat himself on the bed proper and flung his arms around Peter.

"No, I wont accept that!" he cried sharply and Peter stilled, eyes widening at the passion in his voice. His heart softened as he heard Ray's tearful voice "they couldn't let that lunatic keep his power, so who better to entrust it to than the one who took him down?!"

"Ray.." Peter felt his heart break a little as he realised it was hurting Stantz to hear this, he was such a hopeful type of guy "please, don't be upset."

"How can I not be?..." Ray shook his head "I thought I'd lost you when that light exploded!"

-I'm sorry I had to put you through that, Raymond. I thought I had no choice, I'm not some hero like in your comics. No superpowers but mind games and a fraction of the power that madman had.- he patted Ray's back gently, letting the warmth and scent of the man fill his senses –You think I wasn't terrified to accept there was a chance I was going to die? But I wanted to save you, Winston and Egon. I owed you guys that much.-

Ray hiccuped as he sat back at last, letting Peter go so as to wipe his eyes "that spell just exploded and everything went blank. I thought you were gone, then I heard your voice."

"You...heard that?" Peter asked and Ray nodded. Peter winced, staring at the bedcovers. He dimly recalled shouting at an empty sky, confused why he was still alive and loaded up with magic he couldn't hope to control-

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do." Hearing a barely concealed sniffle, Peter dried his friends eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, wanting to kiss him so badly. "I couldn't let him kill all of you. I just….I refused-!"

He broke off then, coughing as the words caught in a throat still sore from the screams of the nightmare. Ray flapped about, grabbing some water for him and making soothing noises. Peter gulped down the water, watching as Ray set the glass back beside the jug, seeing the way he refused to stop loving him…

He beckoned Ray to come closer, patting the bed beside him.

"What is it?" Ray asked "do you feel unwe—mmhh.."

For as soon as Peter could reach, he grabbed Ray's collar and pulled him in for a kiss. The feel and taste of Ray's lips made him feel almost as if nothing had happened, the pleasure briefly blotting out all the aches and pains and the pressure from his inherited power. The surge of excitement and delight briefly pushed his misery aside and he could pretend it was just them, like all those blissful nights spent together.

Ray uttered a cute little sound, half of wanting and half of delight. When they parted for breath, he caught that familiar seductive look in Venkman's eyes that sent a thrill of longing through him. He kissed Peter back, being ever so gentle on his partners injured body as he held him. He could feel the bandages beneath the change of clothing, worry needling him at how much Peter had endured.

Peter's arms wrapped around his neck now, keeping him in a prime spot for further kisses. Wether he realised he was doing it or not, Ray heard the cute, breathy little sounds Peter made in those momentary pauses between kisses. Little sounds that revealed just how much Peter needed, and WANTED, Ray's attentions.

Ray flashed back to something Peter had said that night in the hotel room; "I need you, Ray. You're the only thing that lets me feel normal.."

If he was what Peter needed, than Ray was determined to stay close to Peter's side until he said otherwise.

Peter felt Ray's hands settle gently at his waist, the warmth sinking through to his skin and making his nerve endings buzz. It was like a sugar rush, only much more potent.

At last, he let Ray go, smiling softly as he seen how flushed Ray was and that happy gleam in his partners eyes.

"I missed you, Ray.." Peter murmured, running a hand through his partner's hair, amused by how he could make it stick up in all directions, all soft and floofy.

"Me too Peter, me too." Ray responded, nuzzling his nose with a barely hidden noise of relief. If he knew his hair now resembled a birds nest thanks to his lovers meddling, he didn't seem to mind. Peter needed him, needed comfort. Nothing else mattered right then.

Peter snared him in one more kiss, but despite his body yearning for that and more, he was starting to feel drowsy again…when they parted, he yawned softly, trying in vain to hide it behind his hand, but Ray seen it.

"Rest, Peter." Ray said as he laid him down, tucking him up in the blankets and kissing him one more time when Peter pouted cutely. "I'll stay here-"

"No, you need to sleep too." Peter said, shaking his head gently. He seen just how dark the bags under Ray's eyes were, he recognised the look from his own worried nights after the kidnapping "you must be exhausted, Ray. Please..? I can't sleep if you're just gonna exhaust yourself."

Ray nodded, getting to his feet and heading for the exit, seeing Peter closing his eyes only when he was halfway out the door. He closed it behind him, sighing softly. He'd missed the feel of Peter's body in his arms, the way his lips were so soft- but he was a little concerned about the pain he'd seen in Peter's eyes as they discussed the reason for the ghosts forcing his father's power on Peter.

As much as he did crave some sleep right now, Ray realised the others (and Marie) needed to hear all of this and trotted downstairs to find them.

* * *

He found them in the library, a radio playing in the background as they discussed something or another. They all looked up, conversation dead-ending as they seen the expression on his face,

"Something happen, man?" Winston asked, then spotted how birds-nest Ray's hair was and bit back a laugh. Now was NOT the time- give it 5 minutes.

"I'm fine – I mean…." Ray sighed heavily, flopping down on the couch "Peter woke up! He...told me what happened while the rest of us were unconscious and it's pretty weird."

That got everyone's attention and soon all eyes were on him.

"What did he say?" Marie asked kindly and Ray attempted a weak smile of thanks as she passed him a hot cup of tea. A fancy, ornate set was parked on the table beside her and whatever was in it almost instantly made Ray feel a little better.

Taking a deep breath, he went from the top, telling them just what Peter had told him; that the ghosts had made off with his father, no doubt for some form of revenge. But then he reached the bit where they'd forced Peter to take on his father's magic and he felt sick all over again.

"So THAT'S what he was trying to tell us- why he wanted us to keep our distance. Is that a thing, Egon?" Winston asked the genius doctor "because if it is? DICK. MOVE. Apologies, madame." he said to Marie as Egon frowned, wracking his brain.

She merely smiled sadly, saying that the sentiment was more than warranted.

"Well, in some cases...yes." Egon winced at last and Ray's stomach sank. He got up from the couch, pacing back and forth with the teacup still held in hands that shook just noticeably.

"It doesn't make sense!" he cried at last as the others patiently let him think "Peter's actions FREED them, by the sounds of it they were intelligent enough to court-martial that Ashwood lunatic. Why do that to Peter if they understood his actions?!"

"I don't know, Ray. Without context, all my guesses are wild." Egon said placatingly as Ray glared at him "nothing like this has ever been seen before in my studies. I wish I could tell you more-"

He shook his head "I don't have any answers, I'm sorry."

Ray's anger dissipated in a heartbeat, regret filling its shoes as he plopped himself back down on the couch "I know, it's not your fault Egon. I'm just..."

"We're worried about him too, Ray." Winston assured him "one way or another we're gonna find a way to get him back to same Peter we know and try not to throw things at. Often."

"Did he say anything else?" Egon asked, but Ray only shook his head as he recalled the kisses that'd followed in the wake of this reveal, they hadn't done much talking for a minute or three there. Peter had needed comfort after telling such a tale...

"A more pertinent question would be: did he DO anything else?" Winston teased, seeing Ray's cheeks turn pink just a little as Stantz spaced out.

"Wha-?! No! No, we didn't-" Ray sputtered indignantly, sitting ramrod straight, shaking his head and going even redder "d-don't be so crude, Winston!"

"Two things. 1) your FACE and 2) your HAIR. That's got Pete's fingers all over it, literally." Winston grinned, making Ray face-palm while Marie chuckled at how close these boys were.

Ray swore under his breath as he tried and failed on all counts not to blush.

Winston grinned, slinging an arm around his shoulders "So spill, what were you two doing? Is that why he's asleep again-?"

"WINSTON!" Ray cried, trying to swing a couch cushion at his friend's head but soon finding himself stuck as Winston got him in a headlock and ruffled his already messed up hair.

"If we could retain SOME composure, please." Egon said with a prim sigh, but his mind was already on Eugene and the last time they'd been in bed together… Certainly, HIS hair never survived Eugene's snuggling!

Marie laughed as she watched Ray flail and flap his arms like a chicken, squawking to boot! Winston continued to take cheeky pot-shot guesses at why Pete was fast asleep AGAIN...

But the exhausted Dr Stantz was laughing at least, which seemed to have been Winston's plan, as he finally let Ray go with a triumphant grin and waved a hand at the daydreaming Spengler.

"Yo, Egon, wakey wakey! Your turn."

Ray held a couch cushion in front of himself in defence before realising Winston meant to impart some information, not tease him mercilessly.

"Hm? Oh, right." Egon picked up a book that'd been left open on the couch beside him as Ray coughed and sheepishly put the cushion down "before you came in, Ray, we were looking for anything on the Ashwood family. I found a picture of the family crest, look."

Ray wiped tears of amusement from his eyes, studying the picture Egon held up. It showed a letter 'A' with jagged black wings that seemed to be made of lightning.

"Creepy," was the first thought he had.

"You read my mind." Winston said, eyeballing the design "something is WAY off about that. I remember Pete's old man saying something about that while he was trying to jog Pete's memories."

"Thats because these 'crests' as you call them, are more like sigils, or runes. They carry power, not unlike a name. In olden times, clans would etch them into trees in areas they controlled, to warn rival clans to stay away." Marie said sagely.

"Suppose we should be glad they didn't take to peeing on things." Winston remarked, causing Egon to almost choke on his tea and Ray to snort briefly, making Winston smile at him.

"Gross, Winston." Egon said as he got his breath back.

"The concept is close, it WAS to mark territory." Marie told them, an eyebrow arched in amusement. Ah the humour of this generation, it was quite something. Winston shot Spengler a smug look, making the polymath roll his eyes again.

"Crests can change, over time the head of the clan would usually alter it to reflect his or her work." Marie looked at the crest in the book "this was the last known sighting of it before they fell off the radar."

They all fell silent, until Marie brought up one further point;

"If the father is powerless and out of the way, technically this places your friend in control. Once this news spreads, things may change. But for now, sorting your friends magic is our priority. Until the others arrive, we can only try to ensure he is sufficiently cared for, physically speaking."

Feeling two separate gazes boring into him, Ray facepalmed as he felt his face redden.

"Gutterminds." he grunted, hearing them laughing softly. Great, EGON was laughing at him now. D'oh.

Glancing at his watch, Egon excused himself to go use the phone, he needed to call Eugene.

* * *

When Janine called his name, saying he had a call from Egon, he grinned and bounded up to the desk.

"Hey Eeg," he said as he pressed the handset to his ear "you guys get there OK-?"

He fell silent as Egon told the whole story. The fight with Peter's father, the pain the man himself had been submitted to and how they'd had to race to get to Madame's in time.

"Wait….his father was a what? Whoa. Is he alright?"

"Yes and no," Egon responded "he's very sick at the present time. Not to mention unsettled. We were lucky Ray was able to approach him so we could get him here safely. I fear the incident may have further repercussions, however."

"Don't say I blame him, its a horrible thing to do to your own kid!" Eugene shook his head "what about you guys, are you OK?"

"We're fine, a few cuts and scrapes between us, but nothing major. Is everything alright at the firehouse?"

"Yeah, it's chaos, but we're managing. It's scary but kinda fun, trapping ghosts, I mean. I totally get why you guys love it, although it's not the same without YOU though."

Egon flushed a little at the way Eugene's voice softened.

"I miss you too." he said softly, fancying he could HEAR Eugene grinning happily.

"Once you get back, I'm going to sneak off with you to the house, so I can make a fuss of you, Eeg."

Egon blushed properly then, remembering their last stay at Eugene's house. That delightfully seductive picnic…

He asked to speak to Janine next, giving her the rundown on Peter's situation. She used some inventive curse words that Egon found himself wholeheartedly agreeing with. Last but not least, she updated him on the Peck situation; the summary of which was: the guy was a pain but he was manageable.

"Get your asses back soon, before we end up cleaning Peck off the walls from where he's exploded. Also, someone's missing you something CHRONIC- oi!"

Egon scratched the back of his neck as he heard Janine yelp and the sound of her trying to swat Eugene with a book, their combined laughing making him smile faintly.

* * *

His heart was racing when he finally hung up, the amused jokes of his friend and lover ringing in his head. He hoped they'd be returning home soon, he was missing the feeling he got from Eugenes affections…a brief check of his pulse confirmed that yes, even just Eugene's voice made his heart race.

"Are you feeling alright, sir?"

Egon blinked, realising Marie's assistant had wandered by and was no doubt wondering why Spengler was standing there, checking his own pulse. Egon nodded stiffly, immediately making to vacate the area-

"Sir, watch out for that-!"

WHAM.

"Pillar."

"I'm fine," Egon said airily as he straightened his glasses and strode off as quickly as he could. "didn't hurt."

Thibodeaux shook his head as Egon did his roadrunner act, these Ghostbusters were a weird bunch.

-If that fella was any more introverted, he'd be inside out.- he shrugged to himself as he resumed his duties.

* * *

While Spengler was almost knocking himself unconscious and Ray and Winston were going over the books on the Ashwood family, Marie went to speak with Peter alone, bringing him more of the restorative soup.

She knew his friends would want to speak with him now he was conscious, so she acted quickly- she had some important questions she needed to ask.

She knocked and heard him tell her to come in, his voice very faint. He was sat up in his bed, propped up by lots of pillows. He put her in mind of a china doll, oddly fragile despite his outward appearance. Recognition flashed in his eyes- he evidently recalled her from the night before.

"Madame?" he asked, and she nodded, sitting in the chair Ray had previously occupied, setting the soup bowl in his hands gently. He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of it before taking a sip.

"Mister Venkman?" she said softly, "I know this is difficult- but I have some questions."

"Questions? Oh, of course..." he nodded slowly. He was like a photocopy, his colours faded and not quite right.

"What do you remember of your father from the altercation?"

Peter winced, appetite slamming to a screeching halt at the mere mention of him "He looked so much like me- he wore these strange robes, he had this amulet with him as well."

"Was he alone?"

"As far I could tell- yes. He didn't seem to think me or the others were any sort of threat. I think he was using some kind of trick to mess with my head, make me too scared to fight against him. That lasted up until he insulted my mother and I punched him in the face."

"I would not fault you that, hers is an honour worth defending if what your friends have told me is any indicator. Dr Stantz said she left you a memory- a spell, correct?"

"I- yes," Peter nodded, grip tightening on the ceramic bowl he held. Its heat seeped into his icy palms, keeping him rooted in reality by some small margin.

"Can you describe it to me?" she asked next, watching him closely.

Peter tried to remember it, but all he had were fuzzy flashbacks and a sensation of pain- he shook his head, voice shattered like glass as he apologised-

"It's aright." She placed a hand over his and he felt some of the tension ebb away "it's not important right now, mister Venkman"

"It's just Peter." he said dully, after a pause "or, at least I thought so."

"You refer to the name your father called you?"

"Yeah," Peter shivered, fancying he could feel a scratching in the back of his head, an insidious trickle of intent running down his neck… "I never had a clue growing up- my entire life was based on a fabrication made to escape that madman."

"You are who you chose to be, regardless of your name. Don't let his falsehoods block out the good memories."

"I thought he was dead," Peter said softly "then suddenly he's standing right in front of me. It was surreal, seeing someone I'd always thought was long gone, dead in a car accident. The records- she must've paid someone off big time to falsify so much...he was THAT dangerous."

A shiver ran through him at just how far his father's reach had been, he'd tracked them down so easily and staged it so he could cut Peter off from his friends… and all without a flicker of emotion. He'd been a monster, heartless and cruel.

"AM I like him?" Peter whispered "will this magic warp me the same way?"

"Magic is shaped by the user, not by its own will. It's an extension of YOU- it will mould itself depending how it is taught."

Peter managed a weak nod, but he seemed oddly distant and it matched with what Ray had told her. Something was lurking behind his eyes, something he was only barely keeping in check. So she waited, giving him plenty of room to speak, until the silence finally broke-

"They just tore it from him- it looked like a glowing ball. But just looking at it made my head hurt, it reminded me of a lecture Egon made me attend about Black Holes. It just sucked in anything nearby, any light, air.."

"Dr Stantz says they imparted a few words before giving that magic to you instead-"

"They said I was suitable- an heir..." he shook his head, feeling close to being sick "I'm sorry- I can't-"

Again she patted his hand, wordlessly assuring him it was fine.

"This stuff, it's eating up everything I have, isn't it? Thats why they were driving out here, to bring me to you. I was being sick and passing out.." Peter finally gathered to courage to speak again once a stretch of indeterminate time had passed.

"Yes, it is a sure sign of overload. You've spent your whole life unaware of your potential, your strength- the fact it was so abruptly forced upon you is understandably a shock, you possess magic many would study for years to experience."

"IS there something that can be done about it? There has to be..." Peter set the half-empty bowl on the bedside table, his stomach was hurting again. He hunched up, one hand pressed to his forehead, the other his stomach. "It's already shorting out everything in the Firehouse back home, what's next- it starts fires? Takes over the airwaves? Calls people up and swears at them?!"

"I doubt it will be quite so unruly. Your friend Egon put forth his theory that it has latched onto your emotions due to the traumatic circumstances of its revival. Try not to worry, you're safe here."

Peter nodded shakily, that meant Ray and the others were out of danger and that was his main concern.

She read his expression and beamed "Ah, love is a powerful motivator, no?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Peter said, automatically shielding himself and staring back out the window to avoid meeting her eyes.

"Is that so? Oh, Dr Sta-antz-?"

"Huh? Where?!-" Peters ears pricked up and he turned to glance at the doorway-

-Only to realise he'd been outfoxed.

"Well played." Peter conceded, pouting and folding his arms as he seen the crafty immortal voodoo queen chuckling behind her hand.

"I'm only teasing you, child. It was clear from his refusal to rest until you were all patched up that you were the most important thing in his world. He hid his own injuries until he'd fulfilled this task, then I was finally able to fix up his wrist."

Images of a ghostly hand gripping Ray's wrist until it made that awful cracking sound- Peter shuddered, sick with guilt.

"It's my fault, my father SEEN how important Ray was, so he.."

"Evil always targets whatever it can manipulate- it isn't your fault."

Peter was silenced as a new memory came back, one of Ray holding him beneath the branches of a colossal tree as he reassured Peter he was going to be fine- he was safe now…his voice soft as silk as he whispered "That's a standard evil guy trick, I'm fine.."

She urged him to finish the soup and he did so gratefully, perhaps KNOWING the sedative in it would allow him to get some dreamless sleep.

Marie left him to rest, returning to her study where she dove back into her research and made further phone calls.

* * *

Peter groaned, why was the bed so cold? He grunted, hand flapping absently around for the covers, only to hit what felt like solid floor. Opening his eyes, he seen, as opposed to his bed, he was lying on the rug in the entranceway. Sleepwalking, really?!

He sat up with a groan, checking himself over to make sure he wasn't hurt. His eyes fell on the bottoms of the pyjamas he wore and his heart stopped a beat. The bottoms were soaked and caked with dirt. The soles of his feet bore small cuts and scratches too. Just what had he been doing?!

A glance at his nails showed dirt wedged underneath them. He shook his head, silently begging for this to just be a mistake- but he knew it wasn't.

Panicking, he ran back in what he guessed was the direction he'd come. He'd been outside, so he was looking for a ground floor window or door, one left wide open-

Sure enough, he found it not far away. The door swung silently back and forth and Peter slumped against the wall, feeling an urge to throw up. Why had he gone outside, had he been digging around in the dirt?!

His hands shook as he shut the door, shivering from more then just the cold air.

He turned to run back upstairs, only to run into someone who'd silently approached from behind. Instinctively, he opened his mouth to yell for help- but the stranger pulled him into their arms and kissed him, hard.

How could he have not known? Only one person kissed him that way. Peter all but melted into Ray's arms, tentatively returning the kiss.

They parted and Peter seen Ray's eyes, full of concern and worry alongside the silver starlight that flooded the hall.

"Ray? Why're you…?"

"I was going to get a drink, I woke up feeling oddly restless, so I snuck downstairs. Then I seen you vanish round a corner- I wondered what you were up to?"

Peter looked at him, his expression so confused and teetering on the verge of collapse that Ray became even more worried.

"Peter?"

"C-can we go back to my room, i- there's- I need you." Was all Peter could come up with. Ray blushed subtly, but he didn't ask any further questions until he'd escorted Peter back to his room.

* * *

Flicking a lamp on, he NOW noticed the muddied pyjama bottoms and looked curiously at Peter, who stood there, twisting the hem of his shirt in his hands and looking queasy.

"I woke up lying in the hall." Venkman whispered "it looks like I was sleepwalking- I must've gone outside too. There's dirt on my feet and I found that door wide open. I-I've never sleepwalked in my LIFE Ray, or you'd have woken up with me in your bed at least twice by now."

Ray coughed, the mental image wasn't exactly unwelcome, you see…

"Well, maybe it's just a sign of stress. You're under more of it than any sensible person should be. It'll be OK..."

Peter shook his head, he seemed genuinely shook up.

"Ray, am I crazy?"

"What makes you think that?" Stantz asked, approaching the shivering Peter and pulling him into his arms. Peter nestled against his chest, closing his eyes and sighing softly.

"I feel like I'm disconnected, like I'm not feeling feeling like myself. I can't explain-"

"Shh, it's OK, don't stress it. I understand." Ray soothed, feeling the way Peter shivered against his chest. Was he cold?

"I think you need a bath." he whispered, "you're freezing. C'mon.."

He guided Peter to the bathroom, leaving him perched on the edge of the bath as he ran the water. Peter looked a little better, some colour had slowly returned to his cheeks. Ray fetched him some towels and a bathrobe. He said he'd be in the main bedroom if Peter needed anything, then he left him to his bath…

* * *

Left alone, Peter slipped into the delightfully hot water and felt the aches fade from his bones, he felt human again. He tentatively washed himself, tracing his fingers over a body that felt oddly unfamiliar-

He froze, fingers resting on his chest. How could his own physical body feel unfamiliar?!

He stumbled out of the water, a longing taking up residence in his chest. Ray. He needed Ray.

* * *

Hurriedly drying himself off, he dressed hastily in underwear and the soft fluffy bathrobe Ray had brought. He stumbled out of the bathroom, eyes landing on Ray.

"Feeling better-?" Ray frowned, setting the book aside and standing up as he seen the look of distress on Peter's face "whats wrong- mmh."

His query was cut off as Peter seemed to fly across the distance between them, pressing his still-hot body against Ray's, arms wrapping around his shoulders and stealing a breathtaking kiss into the bargain.

"Peter..." Ray groaned softly as they parted, trying to not cave to the sensations this was causing. The bathrobe Peter wore shifted, letting the lamplight highlight the line of his neck, the sweep of his shoulder. Ray gulped, now was NOT the time-

Peter's hand snagged his as Ray made to straighten the bathrobe before it tempted him any further.

"Ray.." his voice was a soft, seductive whisper, one that sent shivers down Ray's spine, among other locations. Sweet merciful crap, was Peter aware of what he was doing?!

One look in those eyes told Ray he was more than aware, in fact: he needed it. The warmth he radiated drew Ray in, his lips brushing Peter's as his hand came to rest on his shoulder, slipping beneath the bathrobe and nudging it further down.

A soft moan from Venkman briefly snapped Ray back to common sense as he fought against a desire strong enough to take his breath away.

"Peter. A-are you sure this is what you wan-" Ray was cut off by a fierce kiss, Peter's soft brown eyes meeting his when Venkman released him.

"I've never been more sure in my life-" Peter whispered. Ray knew him intimately, knew his body well. Peter needed reminding and he needed Ray's warmth. He kissed Ray softly, hands tracing over the front of his pyjamas, undoing the buttons with minimal effort. Pressed against Ray the way he was, he could feel the effect he was having, heard it in every whisper of his name from Ray's lips.

The bathrobe and the rest of their collective garments were soon relegated to hanging off the end of the bed as Ray set him down atop the mattress, kneeling over him.

"Peter.." he murmured and simply hearing his voice seemed to make Peter press closer to him, sweet merciful sanity, his body felt perfectly moulded to Ray's, throwing any lingering resistance out the big picture windows that lined the far wall. He spied Peter's bag propped by the bed, the ambient light catching off the contours of a familiar tube of liquid. He lifted it in one fluid motion, his lips barely leaving Peter's as he pressed liquid-slicked fingers between his partner's legs...

Ray gently, slowly, readied his beloved Venkman for what was to follow, hearing Peter repeating one word over and over as he worked. His name.

"Ray...my Ray..."

"Always, Peter..." Ray promised as his preparations came to a close. He traced his hands down Peter's body and let them come to rest at his hips.

Peter shivered from head to toe as he felt the hot, firm sensation of Ray entering him. Did that man know how good he felt? Peter honestly thought he was going to briefly pass out from how satisfying it was, but clarity soon returned and he kissed Ray, making the sweet young man smile before he began a gentle, sweet rhythm that blotted Peter's fears from his mind. He had his Ray, he had hope. He clung tightly to his partner, as each sweet, gentle thrust only made the pleasure mount higher and higher-

It reminded him who was, that this happiness was his. That he had someone who loved him unrelentingly...he poured his limited energy into bracing his body against the mattress, urging Ray on...

"Ray-!" his voice was soft, but the sound echoed in Ray's head as they finished together, both breathing as fast as their hearts were beating. Ray propped himself on his elbows, his forehead pressed lightly to Peter's as they enjoyed the rush. Venkman snuck a quick kiss once he could breathe deeply again, that happy buzzy afterglow racing through his veins.

"What would I do without you?" Peter murmured sleepily as Ray pulled out, cuddling Venkman close.

"I'm not answering that." Ray joked and Peter half-heartedly slapped him on the shoulder, before laughing softly. He cosied up as close to Ray as he could, grounding himself with the warm solid presence of him.

-I don't want to forget this..- he thought, -even if I feel like I'm losing my mind..-

* * *

When Ray woke the next morning, it was to a mix of delight and moderate guilt. He was supposed to be encouraging Peter to rest, not bedding the man. But last night- the way Peter had looked at him, Ray had sensed Peter needed reminding of how good he could feel. Given all he'd endured, Ray couldn't begrudge him that.

He tried to slip out of the bed, freezing when he heard Peter stir.

"Mmmh, no, h-he's mine..." Peter mumbled and Ray blushed. Peter was just dreaming about HIM it seemed.

But Peter's next half-audible words replaced the warm fuzzies with chills.

"D-don't...don't hurt him.."

Ray sat on the edge of the bed, studying the sleeping Venkman as he gently stroked his hair. But Peter seemed to have lapsed into a better sleep as no further words were spoken. Wishing he could stay, but knowing his absence at breakfast would be missed, Ray slipped back to his own room to get dressed then headed down to the kitchen.

* * *

The others were already there, crap.

"Hey, look who finally woke up."

"Sorry," Ray sighed "I went to check how Peter was feeling. I found him sleepwalking last night."

"Sleepwalking?" Egon asked curiously, wondering why Ray looked so concerned. Sleepwalking was odd, to be sure, but not unheard of. Egon had had a few occurrences of it himself, usually waking up in his lab. Or standing in the shower that one time.

"Yeah. I was downstairs for a glass of water and I caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of my eye. My first thought was ghosts, obviously, but when followed it, I realised it was just Peter. He was standing by one of the back doors. His clothing had water and what looked like mud on them. He was shivering."

"He was outside?" Winston asked, raising an eyebrow "that IS weird. What was he looking for?"

"I can only guess." Ray sighed "it could just be stress? Although with everything he's been exposed to- I don't like to guess at anything."

"Was he awake when you found him, or still asleep?" Egon asked.

"Kind of halfway between? I called out to him, but he didn't seem to hear me. When I approached and he turned round, I think I scared the heck out of him. He nearly passed out on me..."

"I assume you brought him straight back to bed. Did he say anything?" Egon was making notes of all this, which was both bizarre and a relief to Ray.

"Yeah I steered him back to his room, he was a little spacey so I suggested he change his clothes. After that, he just conked out. I checked on him before I came down here and he said something in his sleep as I was halfway out the door. It was quiet, but it sounded like "don't hurt him." I'm not sure what he was dreaming about, but it's probably flashbacks to his father."

Ray gratefully took the coffee offered by the cook. He uttered a sigh of relief- thank goodness for caffeine.

He was worried about Venkman, but still felt a little guilty about last night. He had the sudden revelation that maybe somehow their intimacy was tied to Peter's magic. After all, hadn't Peter's recovery started after that morning in the attic? Plus, keeping close to Ray seemed to help Peter keep from breaking down.

He was interrupted from working on the theory further when Marie walked into the kitchen. Egon shuffled along to make room on the bench. The madame smiled as she settled herself, nodding when the cook asked if she wanted her usual?

"How fares Dr Venkman?" she asked Ray, who gave her a rundown on Peter's late night jaunt.

"Interesting," Marie murmured "I have wards on this house, yet I felt nothing. Perhaps they have simply lapsed. I am no stranger to complacency after all."

"Wards? Like burglar alarms?" Ray was amazed, the things she knew how to do...

"Thats a very appropriate description, dr." Marie smiled. She was about to tuck into her breakfast when Thibodeaux entered, informing her she had a phone call.

* * *

She was gone only briefly, and when she returned to both breakfast and the curious Ghostbusters, she had some news.

"That was my contact, they're on their way, should be here by tomorrow, conditions pending."

Ray's stomach flip-flopped, was this really the best thing for Peter?

"Who are these guys?" Winston asked and the Madame said it was best to let them introduce themselves, but she did mentioned their group had been around for even longer than she had, in one form or another.

Egon's eyebrows rose, older than 200 years? That was pretty impressive.

"Now," Marie finished her breakfast and got slowly to her feet "I'm taking a trip into town, would you two mind accompanying me? I could use the assistance of a couple of extra hands."

Both Egon and Winston were more than happy to, since she was doing so much to help their co-worker.

"What about me?" Ray piped up, before his brain caught up and realised the answer was obvious.

"You have a patient to look after, doctor." Marie teased kindly, making Ray smile faintly. He hoped Peter was feeling better today...but he was still haunted by the abject fear and conviction he was being punished that'd been on Peter's face when they'd last talked. And last nights sleepwalking incident/accidental intimacy wasn't helping.

-Accidental, my ass.- his brain piped up, but he ignored it.

"He needs fresh air and he needs YOU, man." Winston said as they left "even if you have to drag him downstairs- heck, this is probably the one opening you'll get where he's not strong enough to fight you off!"

"Argh, Winston! You make it sound so dirty-" Ray glowered "it's not funny!"

"Yes it is. And I will swear on my marine's honour to anyone that asks." Winston smirked then was out the door before poor Ray could retort. Marie was biting her lip, such was the effort needed not to laugh out loud as they made their way to the car. Dr Spengler merely rolled his eyes, as if this was commonplace, him being serious and the other two acting like teenagers!

* * *

Ray paced the entryway for a moment or two, trying to work off the redness from his face before Peter seen it. Once a quick glance in a mirror had told him he looked as calm as he was ever going to, he set off for Peter's room.

"Peter?" he knocked lightly "it's me, Ray..."

"Ray?!" He heard Venkman's almost delighted tone, soft hurried footsteps following immediately after- and quickly opened the door, just in time for Peter to all but fall into his arms as he stepped inside. He wrapped his arms around Venkman's waist, steadying him on instinct as he gave him a quick check over. The first thing he noticed was Peter had changed into fresh Pyjamas sometime between when Ray had checked on him and his return.

"The bed was cold." Peter pouted, by way of an explanation. Ray smiled, his eyes wandering over Peter's freshly-clothed body. He looked better-

"See anything you like?" Peter teased and Ray went from 0 to 100 on the blush-o-meter. Dangit. He really was hopeless at this…

"Just making sure you're alright, you're looking better." Ray said at last, any further doctors notes being pushed aside as Peter kissed him hungrily.

"That your professional opinion, my sweet Raymond?"

"Mm-hm." Ray answered cutely, getting another kiss for his efforts. They were silent a moment, the matter of last nights sleepwalking still on both their minds.

"Where are the others?" Peter asked at last, toying with Ray's collar as he wondered why his friends hadn't dropped in. Yeah, he was asleep 90% of the last few days, so that probably had something to do with it….what was he thinking about again?

"They're in town with the Madame, we're the only ones left, besides the staff..."

Peter nodded silently, heart jumping at the thought of just him and Ray alone. Last nights echoes ran through his mind and he sighed happily- that'd be wonderful. He vowed he'd regain HIS strength and give Ray a good thorough loving. He deserved that at the very least….

For now he just settled for cuddling Ray, losing himself in the feel of those lips, the taste of him..

Ray smiled at him when they finally parted for air, stroking a hand through Peter's hair.

"Why don't we go sit outside? Get you some fresh air..." Ray murmured, getting an eager nod in return. Although reluctant to let go of Venkman, Ray ushered him towards the shower while he fetched him some clean clothes.

* * *

"Geez, I look like I tried to arm wrestle a cactus. Or maybe a rabid hedgehog, what do you think?" Peter asked idly as he stepped out of the bathroom doorway. He'd put every article of clothing on besides his shirt, he held that in his hand while gesturing to himself and his many bandages.

Ray stared at him, blinked vacantly, then finally went "Yes?", blinking innocently. He couldn't forget how he'd been kissing that same body, less then 12 hours ago...

Peter chuckled, Ray was so innocent. He walked over, drawing Ray into his hold, tracing his fingers up the man's back as he did.

Ray jumped, squeaked and pressed even more firmly against him.

"Last night was simply spectacular.." He purred, nibbling on Ray's ear.

Ray scrabbled for words, but only managed an aroused squeak. Peter chuckled and kissed Ray gently, murmuring about how downright adorable he was.

There was a faint inkling in Ray's mind that he was supposed to be keeping an eye on Peter's health, but the man was an expert in distracting him.

* * *

After a few more kisses, Peter reluctantly released Ray so he could put his shirt on. With the task of getting dressed out of the way, he followed Ray downstairs. Outside there was a bench with plenty of space for them to sit comfortably side by side, facing a small but pretty pond.

Flowers of some local exotic type scented the air and attracted numerous pretty insects. Peter was surprised not to see Egon sneaking after them with a butterfly net or something.

"Where'd you say the other two stooges got to?" Peter asked again, leaning into Ray's embrace. He felt pleasantly lazy, this would almost be like a date if the situation wasn't so messed up. Again Peter was reminded of something he'd discussed with Ray on the trip up here; he wanted to take Stantz on a date.

"Egon and Winston are in town with the Madame, so I figured we could have some peace and quiet." Ray replied softly and Peter smiled, clasping Stantz's hand in his. Ray flushed, yet worry nibbled at him, as he replayed the Madame's announcement that morning. People were coming…

His gaze wandered over the grounds, wondering how to explain this-?

"There's something on your mind, and it's not me." Peter said out of the blue, making Ray jump. A quick glance at Peter showed he'd been mimicking Ray and was now staring over at a nearby pond. Without a word, without even a glance, Venkman had somehow read him like a book.

—That's actually kinda exciting...- Ray thought, then booted that thought out of his head so fast it almost hit 88 mph.

Peter spoke again "what's worrying ya, Ray?"

"Nothing-" Ray began, but Peter did look at him now, a pout on his face that said he wasn't to be lied to. Ray longed to smile, he loved those expressive faces Peter pulled.

"Okay, there's something. At breakfast, Madame Marie got a phone call from some people she knows that can help."

"What?" Peter's voice was barely audible, more people were coming here? His head was ringing so loudly it was a miracle he heard Ray's next words.

"They're experts in this sort of thing, they can help with your magic-"

"No."

"Peter, please- we don't know enough-"

"No way in heck, Ray!" Peter got abruptly to his feet, arms wrapped around his middle as he stared into the distance "this has gone far enough- I wont have anyone else knowing about it! How do we know they wont take one look at who I'm related to and...I dunno, shoot me on the spot?!"

He had his back to Ray, but Stantz knew the expression that clouded his face. Anger and fear, mixed with guilt- it was the look that'd haunted Peter for weeks now.

"Peter, please..." Ray whispered, panicking. What should he do? "I don't like it either- but-"

Peter whirled, sweeping Ray's hands up in his, kissing his fingertips lightly.

"Then let's just go- forget about any of that! I don't want my whole life torn apart AGAIN- I can't do that, cutie. I'm sorry..."

He trailed off, wincing as a sharp pain began in his head. A sense of dizziness pervaded his thoughts and he faintly heard Ray's voice, crying out in concern as he staggered a few feet away before collapsing in a huddled over in a heap, like a ragdoll.

Red sparks filled the air, dancing over the grass surrounding Peter, again reminding Ray of the way Peter's magic had tried its best to facilitate an escape. Before Peter gave in to the idea to bolt, Ray hurried over and knelt down beside his shivering form. He ignored the sparks even as they darted over his hands and up his arms, not letting them interfere as he pulled Peter to a sitting position, wrapping his arms around him. Peter panicked, body going tense.

"Ray, stop-! You'll get hurt-!"

But Ray persisted, embracing Peter firmly until he relaxed enough to let Ray hold him. He then kissed Peter firmly, making the other man's gaze lock onto him now.

"I don't like it either- but the only other option is losing YOU, and I will NOT let that happen. Please, Peter…."

Peter seen the worried tears in Ray's eyes and guilt hit HARD, he hated seeing Ray sad. His magic shuttered so abruptly that it made an abrupt POP, and normal insect and wildlife sounds flooded in to fill the gap again.

He let himself slump against Ray, taking deep breaths so he didn't throw up. Hardly a romantic gesture. He let the steady thud of Ray's heartbeat coax his own into slowing down, and gradually his breath came easier to him. For a moment all was perfect and motionless…

"Peter..?" Ray asked worriedly as his partner went unexpectedly still, when Peter suddenly lifted his head and snared Ray's lips in a kiss.

"Raymond- I'm sorry..." he whispered when he released him "I didn't mean to make you upset, I just don't like the idea of a bunch of strangers deciding my life for me, based on what? My magic type? Who my family are? These sound like old school people, Ray. Traditions up the wazoo..." he trailed off, all out of steam now with only one last plea left to him "please tell me you think this is a bad idea too?"

Ray sighed, stroking Peter's back gently before answering "I don't, to be truthful. I mean, yes I think it's weird she's calling on a whole bunch of these experts- but if we don't do something, this power is going to kill you. I'll endure a bunch of stuffy old oddballs if it means saving you."

Peter blinked, utterly defeated by that statement. His selfish motives threw up their collective hands and declared surrender, slamming the door on their way out. He looked into those loving hazel eyes and could find only concern for HIS wellbeing.

"Wow, don't pull any punches, do ya?" He kissed Ray softly "alright- for you, cutie."

"For all of us," Ray whispered back as he drew Peter somehow even closer, one hand tracing a path down his back and sending a sensual shiver up Peter's spine that coaxed a subtle gasp of pleasure from the man. Ray's lips brushed his ear as Stantz continued "we all want you to be safe and happy, Peter. We need you, I need you." he placed such emphasis on the 'I' that it made Peter love him even more. Dang it, did he have to be such a sucker for this cutie?

"Fine." he pouted as he drew back a little, making Ray chuckle happily.

"Now, I believe your hand is halfway up my sweater-"

"Oops-!"

"Oops my ass, Raymond." Peter licked his lips hungrily, memories of last night stirring in his mind as he tried to crawl onto Ray's lap, tangling his fingers in Stantz's hair. Ray squeaked, overbalanced and fell over, so Peter found himself draped across Ray's chest, nose to nose with his lover.

"Well, close enough." he teased, making Ray grin. They stole another blissfully oblivious kiss before Peter had to sit back up. He didn't know how the madame had done it, but knew by all rights he should've been in a lot more pain.

Ray must've seen something in his expression as he made to sit himself up, but Peter placed a hand on his chest, playfully pinning him down.

"Are you OK, Peter?" Ray asked, feeling the heat of Peter's palm through his shirt "does anything hurt?"

"Nuh-uh." Peter said with a seductive smile "all things considered I feel pretty good, Hint; All those hours of soldering wires really taught you how to use your hands, didn't it-?"

Ray blinked, staring up at Peter while his brain tallied up all the subtle euphemisms, innuendo and outright flirting. End result? Squeak and blush bright red.

Peter couldn't help it, he chuckled softly. Ray turned even redder, pouting briefly and angling his head away.

Peter waited until Ray broke and turned his face back towards him, then he leaned down and teasingly caressed Ray's lips with his own.

"Don't be mad- I think it's hot. That was a fantastic org-mmm-!"

Clearly Ray WASN'T mad, if the kiss he gave Venkman was anything to go by.

Ray smiled cutely up at Peter as he let the man go, heart racing as he seen Peter at a loss for words, a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Ok, you're forgiven." he teased while toying with the collar of Venkman's shirt, idly brushing a thumb over the glimpse of collarbone this angle afforded him. He could feel the rise and fall of his chest, the softness of his skin…

Peter's hand moved from Ray's chest to rest gently on his stomach. It was a perfect moment, with not a word needing to be said. Ray tangled their fingers together, seeing Peter smile softly.

He was about to lean in and kiss Ray again when they heard someone abruptly clear their throat. Ray went tense as a board and Peter froze.

"Ah, there you are."

Ray blinked up at Marie's assistant and tried to ignore his desire to laugh at the peevish noise Peter made, as Ray was sure he only heard it by virtue of being so close.

"Lunch is ready, sirs. If you have the time.." his professional front was undermined only slightly by a knowing smirk that made Peter raise an eyebrow at him in defiance, but he didn't say a word. Just helped Ray up and followed the assistant back into the house.

* * *

Peter heard Egon's voice as they approached the heavy wooden door, telling some anecdote or another, and Winston's amused responses. His heart lifted as he nudged the door open, Ray right behind him.

"Yo, Pete!" Winston greeted him with a grin and Egon showed one of his rare smiles as he seen the two standing there.

"Oh, you're up! You must be starving, no?" the cook took in the peaky, half-dazed Peter and mentally calculated how much a guy who hadn't eaten in days would need.

Peter opened his mouth but his stomach beat him to it, uttering a rumbling noise that could've passed for a distant earthquake. Peter kind of just...stopped, blinking vacantly. Ray bumped his head against his lover's shoulder, giggling gleefully.

"Can't take you anywhere, can I?" Peter addressed his stomach, making Ray giggle even louder.

"Hopeless." Peter teased him, heading for the table with an amused Ray in tow.

"Challenge accepted," the cook laughed as she swiftly piled a pair of plates high with food and set them in front of Ray and Peter.

She beamed at their thanks and said to call her if they needed anything more, then she left to deliver meals to the staff.

"Quick check, how many fingers am I holding up?" Winston grinned, holding up a middle finger of course.

"Thursday?" Peter answered, rubbing his eyes. It made him look oddly innocent and Ray internally d'awwed.

"Yeah, he's fine." Egon said, deadpan as ever. But he smiled nonetheless, adding "it's good to see you're awake."

"Serious though, man. How ya feelin'?"

"I uh….I'm not sure, everything's still kind of a mess. I get the feeling I should probably feel a lot worse but whatever the Madame did, it's really worked."

"It's astonishing what she's able to do, and she's let me read all her journals. There's data for months in there." Egon added, making Ray whistle softly.

Peter rolled his eyes, but he was smiling and he seemed almost back to normal. His appetite certainly was, although he took his time eating, knowing he wasn't fully recovered no matter how good he felt.

* * *

"Did Ray tell you about the help that's coming?" Egon asked once they'd demolished their respective meals. Peter winced, but nodded once.

"Who are they exactly?" he asked, when he finally found his voice.

"The Madame said it's best to let them explain themselves. But by the sounds of it, these guys have been up to their armpits in this sort of stuff for centuries." Egon pointed out.

"Great," Peter sighed, suddenly losing appetite as he glowered at his plate. "Weirdos I don't know anything about. What are they, the magical arm of the FBI?"

"Maybe." Egon shrugged "we don't know. There isn't much available on the subject as a whole, I was able to research very little before the run-in with your father. So the best I have are guesses, but I trust that the Madame knows what she's doing."

Another mute nod from Peter, he was aware he owed her a great deal for patching him up.

"Don't worry about it," Winston assured him "they're not getting away without talking to us first."

Peter nodded, closing his eyes and sighing softly.

"I just wanna go home." he muttered, so quietly the others nearly didn't hear him. Nobody knew what to say to that, they all knew they couldn't go anywhere with Peter's fate still uncertain. Ray set a hand on his back, earning a weak smile from Venkman as he opened his eyes.

"What'd you guys do in town?" Ray asked, to take the focus off a subject Peter was struggling to deal with. "we didn't get to really see much of it last time, did we?"

"There's a specialty bookstore, I seen more than a few volumes I would like to add to my collection. I suggest you stop by..."

Peter let them talk, occasionally listening in but mostly just daydreaming.

It took Egon a second or two, but he finally noticed what Peter was DOING. It appeared he was just doodling a pattern in the leftover gravy, something Egon had seen him do before back home, but it was what was Peter drawing that made him pause mid-sentence.

"Egon? Yo, man." Winston snapped a finger in his face and Egon motioned him to hold up a sec, then leaned forward;

"Peter?" he asked.

"Mmh?" Still, Venkman continued doing the thing with the fork.

"Are you listening?"

"Mmh?" He wasn't even looking up.

Finally, Egon leaned over and lifted his wrist, breaking the strange trance Peter was in.

"What?" Peter asked, snapping back to reality to find Egon gripping his wrist and giving him a curious look "What's with that face, Spengs?"

"Have you been paying any attention to what you're doing?" Spengler asked, ignoring the nickname as he always did. Peter stared at him, then, after several incredulous seconds of further staring to see if this was a joke, he looked down.

"Dah!" He dropped the fork and shot back from his handiwork in a similar fashion to how he had when he'd seen the spell circle he'd doodled in Spates. A little too late, he realised the bench he was sat on didn't have a back to it, but thankfully Ray was fast enough to grab a fistful of his sweater and stop him from falling off entirely. Peter clutched his partners arm as he sat himself up, looking a little pale.

For what he'd been drawing was something the others remembered from the altercation with Peter's father. It was that same stylized 'A' with a vicious pair of curved wings whose tips pointed inwards. The one Egon had found in a book.

"Huh." Winston said, "Aint that-?"

"HIS sigil, yes. It was close enough to observe during the opening act of your fathers trap." Egon said coolly.

Peter said nothing, just twitched faintly. Egon continued, studying the food replica Peter had made.

"We weren't sure how much you'd remember, given the high levels of trauma involved, so the Madame did some research, Back in time, there used be hundreds of wizardry clans, but only a handful have survived into the modern age, at least as far as the books showed us. They leave their mark to ward others out of their territory."

"I'm guessing this was before the invention of fire hydrants?" Peter said airily, disguising the very real discomfort that symbol brought.

Ray face-palmed "agh, first Winston, now you. What's with the pee jokes?"

"Hah!" Winston declared, holding up a high five, which an amused Peter returned.

"So immature." Egon sighed, but he was smiling ever so faintly even as he said it.

"It sounds nutso. Wizards- pfft." Peter shook his head after a few seconds of silence "I feel like I fell asleep on one of Egon's weird novels."

"They are not WIERD." Egon huffed, "Eugene likes reading them, he's gotten through half my collection already."

"You two were SO made for each other." Peter conceded with a roll of his eyes.

Ray smiled, it was funny the way Egon had seemed to become more outgoing in recent months. Not an unwelcome change, but a surprising one. He leaned his weight on his wrists and felt a phantom twinge from the injured one. Even though Marie's remedies had essentially fixed it up, double time, he guessed his brain was still using regular logic to try understand the situation. His brain thought there was still a break.

Egon wasn't kidding, there was a LOT to learn here.

Peter tilted his head to the side, as his memory offered up a replay of the moment he'd seen that see-through hand grip Ray's. He shivered.

"Cold, Pete?" Winston asked, getting a brief pause then a shaky nod. Ray looked at Peter, trying to see what was wrong? Peter met his eyes for a second, then glanced guiltily down at his plate again. Ray knew that look...

"Something bugging you?" he asked gently, being rewarded by a sigh and a grunt, which often passed for a yes with Venkman.

"I don't remember most of the fight, at least, not right now. It's all hazy, I just recall sounds and sensations mostly, but I need to know; what did THAT MAN do to the rest of you? The shield-" he winced, hands gripping his elbows. A stray spark escaped his fingers, idling along the table. Peter moved in a flash, swatting it with the leftover morning newspaper and making Ray crease up laughing.

Peter coughed as his partner's amused giggles trailed off, putting the paper down, which now bore a tiny scorch mark. Ray continued talking as if that hadn't been the funniest thing held seen all morning. How he kept a straight face was a thing of miracles, Winston thought, given how giggle-happy Stantz usually was.

"He didn't do anything really, mostly just used his ghosts to stop us trying to get to you. And when that failed-"

"Creepy disembodied hands. Yeah, I remember that."

"That's when you pulled the rug on your old man and undid everything he was trying to do. Gave us a heck of a scare though, when we seen you reaching out to him. But of course, you snuck in an extra caveat..."

Peter nodded, he recalled mouthing three words to Ray, so his father wouldn't hear.

"'Trust me, please.' I remember." Ray smiled, reading his expression.

"We always have, well-" Winston said with a big grin.

"Except virtually every other crazy idea I've come up after three beers, I know." Peter giggled abruptly, thinking of some of his old shenanigans. One in particular came to the fore and he laughed even harder, managing to sputter "Egg whisk."

"You STILL owe me an explanation for why you felt it necessary to stick said whisk in the Ectoplasm experiment." Egon glowered.

"You'll be here awhile," Peter snorted, shaking his head "most of my ideas start with seeing a sign saying 'do not touch' and my brain going 'hold my beer'."

Ray began laughing as poor Egon just face-palmed and called Peter a doofus. Peter raised an eyebrow at Ray, which only made him laugh harder, even Winston was snickering into his coffee. Egon sighed and pushed his glasses back up on his face, using his middle finger. In Peter's direction.

"Subtle." Peter deadpanned. Still, had to give him points for creativity.

"Eugene teach ya that?" Winston asked and Egon nodded smugly, then mimed running a finger down the index of an invisible book, then flipping it right way up. Winston grinned and applauded.

"Thats one for the future," he snickered, seeing yet another small smile from Spengler. The guy had changed subtly since Eugene had come along- Winston could've counted the amount of times Egon smiled on on one hand prior to the night Egon saved his old university friend. Now, small smiles were being glimpsed more and more along with a subtle confidence that seemed to lend a much more friendly air to the normally serious scientist.

While Egon demonstrated the new method of bird-flipping, Peter felt an abrupt wave of drowsiness, and flopped sideways so he could rest his head on Ray's shoulder. He smelled like outdoors and sunshine.

"Tired?" Winston suggested sarcastically as Peter made himself comfortable, and poor Ray just blushed softly.

"Maybe some more rest would help?" Ray suggested and Peter groaned softly, but finally shrugged, which Ray took to mean assent. It was easy to tell he was getting bored, Peter had a tendency to sulk when bored.

* * *

They all headed out of the kitchen, Egon and Winston headed one way, Ray and Peter the other. Egon was still polishing off a pastry, for he couldn't turn down cake, which the cook seemed to use to her advantage.

But barely had they made a start on these diverging paths when Marie's assistant came running up, looking very worried indeed, which was tantamount to pants-on-head panicking for a well trained aide. Egon was again caught mid-mouthful, causing him to have the startled-hamster look about him, that Peter seen and promptly let out a loud snort of amusement at.

"What's the matter?" Ray asked, nudging Peter politely.

"I apologise for intruding." he said "but there is an urgent call from town, they require the help of the Ghostbusters."

"You're sure..?" Winston had to ask.

"Mhf?" Spengler queried.

"Dude, eat your food." Winston told him, and Egon realised- duh, obviously. He polished off the mouthful of cake he'd been eating and asked again "what kind of ghost?"

"The kind that's trying to tear up town hall, nobody knows how it got in there or what it wants, but apparently it's MAD. That was all I got before the line cut out."

"Then I must attend with you, this is my home, my city." Marie's voice reached them and Spengler nodded, the Madame knew the area and its stories better than anyone, she'd know the history behind whatever this turned out to be.

Ray silently wondered how both Venkman and the Madame had learned to sneak up so proficiently?

Peter, knowing he'd just be consigned to bed anyways thanks to to his place at the centre of all this, silently strode off upstairs. He heard Ray call out to him, and he did briefly pause long enough to shoot a small smile his way, then waved his hand in a lazy "see ya later" salute and vanished out of sight.

"He's still feeling drained?" Marie asked "has he shown any improvement?"

"He was eating like a horse earlier?" Egon suggested, which was an improvement considering he'd mostly been sleeping.

* * *

Marie requested Thibodeaux keep an eye on Venkman as they left and Ray gave the assistant a two-way radio, requesting he give it to Venkman if he woke. Thibodeaux assured him he would and watched them all run out the door, the Madame alongside.

Peter crawled under the covers, his mind briefly drifting to last night. He smiled, feeling a little of the indignity of being handled like a piece of crystal fade just a smidge. He had Ray…

He fell asleep with thoughts of Stantz on his mind.

His dreams were full of things he didn't recognise, memories of a house he'd never been in, faces cast in shadow…

* * *

He woke with an annoyed sigh, staring up at the ceiling. A glance at his watch showed it'd barely been a couple of hours. Were the others back yet? He couldn't hear anything, the house was silent as a tomb.

Realising his plans to sleep weren't going anywhere near completion, he got up, wandering through the halls wishing the others would come back already, he was BORED. He was recovered enough to move about, but not enough to the point where he could actually DO anything. So he mooched about grumpily, missing his precious Ray-

"There you are, sir."

"Dah!" Peter uttered a sharp yelp, whirling on his heel to see- oh, the Madame's assistant.

"R-right...what's-?" he asked hesitantly, heart pounding loudly from the fright. It was strange, the task of speaking feeling like an oddly mammoth request.

"A Dr Stantz did ask me to give you this radio if I should encounter you."

On being given the radio, Peter nodded mutely. Stantz, Raymond. Cutie, Total. Of course. He stared into space a moment before muttering something about going outside. Thibodeaux nodded, but couldn't help notice how Venkman seemed a tad unsteady, like he couldn't keep his balance.

* * *

Outside in the fresh air, Peter fiddled with the radio until it made a rude noise at him and he heard Ray's voice-

"Ray?"

"Hey, how're you feeling?"

Peter smiled faintly, happier for hearing his Raymond's voice. He closed his eyes, picturing the man himself, that smile, those eyes...

"I'm fine, Ray. Just sitting outside, turns out I couldn't sleep after all. Feels like I've had too much coffee again- GAH!" he yelped as something flew past his face, opening his eyes and searching for what'd surprised him.

"Peter, you OK?"

"Sweet merciful CRAP, Ray! There is a thing that looks like a giant mutant wasp crossed with a particularly hairy caterpillar. Its so GROSS. Uugghh….it's looking right at me. Well, me and a tree, I think it's cross-eyed."

Ray snorted with laughter at the description "better hope it doesn't sting then."

Peter chuckled "it comes anywhere near me I'll punch it in the face and run for the house!"

"Keep it bay for now, we'll be back shortly." Ray told him, imagining he could hear the smile in his lovers reply.

"Got it. See ya later~"

* * *

Ray giggled as he shut the radio off for the moment, he'd missed Peter's weird ramblings.

"Significant improvement," Egon noted from his seat across from Ray at the cafe "he sounds more like himself."

"Yeah," Ray nodded, relief allowing him to relax…

* * *

Peter shut the transmitter off as he went for a walk- somehow avoiding the derpy insect and ending up at the same bench he'd been sat on with Ray just hours earlier. He smiled, Ray was SUCH a cutie and it made Peter's heart ache with how lucky he was to have him.

The good feeling soured a little as he recalled Ray telling him not a couple of hours ago, that there were people coming. People that understood magic, that would supposedly help him-

There was that strange scratching sensation in his skull again.

"Ugh, go 'way." Peter said petulantly, swatting at the air as if the sensation was a bug he could squash.

-Not a chance.- a voice replied, one that sent an icy thrill through Peter.

Peter went rigid, no WAY had his imagination just answered back.

-Oh, you WISH I was just your imagination. I'm SO much more than that.-

What was that old joke? The first sign of madness is talking to yourself. The second sign is answering BACK.

"Dah! What the heck-?!" Peter swore, stumbling and looking all around him as it looking for the source, yet knowing where it came from. Inside his head. His blood ran cold as he tried to call Ray on the radio and he fancied he felt someone pulling at the strings, making him straighten up, flex his fingers curiously. The radio fell to the grass, out of reach.

-Now now, that's enough of that. This doesn't concern them. Let's see what I can do, shall we?" the voice was both in his head and coming from HIS mouth.

Even as Peter began to truly panic, his magic surged, smothering his protests and ushering him aside as someone else stepped in- It was like being wrapped in a cocoon, only the faintest sounds reached him as he was bundled up tight to minimize interference.

* * *

'Peter' smirked as he strode up to the house, any uncertainty gone as he headed for the house. It didn't take him long to find the massive room with the books- a stately library. Conveniently, the book mentioned by the host body's 'lover' was right there on the table. He picked it up, examining the paltry details it held about his family. Cowards, how dare they drag his family name through the dirt-!

He turned to look at the fireplace, fighting with the host body to gain control of HIS magic. He didn't like to be restrained, did he? Poor thing. The entity had no pity for the little upstart, he'd deal with him soon enough.

For now, the entity lit a fire that was soon roaring at full capacity. He smiled, passing a hand through it and watching as the flames turned red. He straightened up, watching the sparks dart around his hands. Good, very good.

He lifted the book from its spot on the table once more and with a flick of his wrist, threw it into the fire.

"What are you doing-?!"

* * *

Thibodeaux cursed under his breath, he'd briefly lost track of the man, he had promised the Madame he would keep watch over him. Where was he-?

That was when he heard a crackling sound, it was coming from the library. But the fires weren't lit, it was too early for that. Frowning, he strode in, expecting to see the subject- a Doctor Venkman- he reminded himself, trying to get warm. Instead he observed the man standing before the fire, which burned an unnatural red. In the flames lay a book he recognised. He asked just what the man thought he was doing and Dr Venkman turned to face him- but something was off. His posture, his expression- even the look in his eyes. It was a total 180 from what Thibodeaux had seen of him so far.

If asked, he would've likened the psychologist to a cat. Cunning, confident and far more intelligent than he let on. The person in front of him now- it wasn't the same; oily, dark and cold came to mind.

He turned as Thibodeaux spoke, seemingly unfazed.

"Oh, what a bore. Let me guess "you can't do that? Or, "how dare you?" he laughed coldly.

Thibodeaux took a chance based on what he'd heard about this man suffering under some dual persona while Marie had been patching him up on arrival and asked "who are you? Youre not the doctor."

"Oh, you noticed? Well, aren't you a bright spark." the man smiled, but there was something off about it. "very clever. Sadly, thats inconvenient for me."

"What are you talking about?" Thibodeaux asked, spying something out of the corner of his eye. A bottle, written on with the Madame's curly handwriting. He kept his eyes on Venkman for the moment, but the man seemed unafraid, turning to the fire again, his back to Thibodeaux.

"Interesting place, I can feel powerful things here. Maybe I'll leave some of them intact, while the rest of it burns."

"I'll ask you again, who ARE you?" The assistant said boldly, as he nudged the basket with his foot, seeing something roll out of it in the corner of his eye.

"You people, always needing to put a name to your evils. Very well, my names Tobias. And this is just the start. I'm a little rusty, but it wont be long before I take my rightful place..."

He turned to face his opponent, not really thinking Thibodeaux could be much of a threat. His grave mistake. Thibodeaux hadn't gotten to where he was by being careless, he was trained to protect the Madame, against anything that may try to harm her.

So he lunged for Venkman now, using one arm to pile-drive him in the stomach, knocking the air from his lungs. When Peter gasped for air, Thibodeaux uncorked the bottle and took the opportunity to force it down his throat. The man swore, a wild swing knocking the bottle from Thibodeaux's hand, causing it to smash against the side of the fireplace. Thibodeaux darted back, hoping he'd been able to force him to swallow enough of it…

"You insignificant little- ugh..." Peter broke off, coughing heavily. What had that worm drugged him with?! His vision swam and he sank to his knees, cursing his foolishness, he'd let himself get tricked.

Not again, he vowed as he lost consciousness, the world swirling to grey then black.

* * *

Thibodeaux heaved a sigh of relief as the man gave in to the drug and passed out.

He extinguished the fire with some of the madame's remedies, water would prove ineffective against that kind of flame. He used his tie to bind the man's hands in case he lashed out again, then placed him on the couch. He was breathing fine, but he'd be asleep for awhile, or so Thibodeaux assumed as he went to fetch a first aid kit. Sadly, he'd underestimated the patients metabolism, as his body burned through the remedy, pushing him to waken far sooner…

* * *

Where was he-? Peter's immediate thought was cut off as he realised his hands were tied behind his back. Panicked flashbacks to being abducted and tied up- he felt acid burn his throat as he frantically struggled, succeeding in tearing free from his bind. He heard footsteps approaching and made a split second decision. He ran for the door, charging it with enough strength to knock whoever was on the other side onto their ass. He caught a glimpse of a familiar suit- the Madame's assistant? Operating on blind panic, he spied the RV keys sat innocuously on a side table and swiped them, shouldering the front door open and pelting for the RV.

He didn't hear the screech of brakes, didn't even see the car as he cut across its arrival path. All he cared about was getting into the RV- he had to escape, some crazy was trying to kill him. Again.

He locked the door to the behemoth vehicle behind him, feeling tears of panic and confusion jabbing at his eyes. His breath came in ragged gasps, gasps that only become more laboured as he heard someone rattle the door, calling his name. He shook his head, running for the front seat when someone dropped into his path.

* * *

"And that's why we don't let Peter near kitchen utensils- sweet merciful CRAP!" Winston cut off mid-anecdote as someone suddenly appeared from round the bend that opened up into the main driveway. He slammed on the brakes but Peter didn't even slow down. For it was undeniably him, and he was running right towards the RV.

"Peter?" Ray squeaked "what's he doing?"

"A land-speed record?" Egon suggested as they got out of the car. By this point, Peter had bolted into the RV, shutting the door behind him. Egon tried the door, but it was locked and a quick glance at Winston had the marine scaling the ladder on the back of the vehicle, headed for the roof access.

Ray seen Thibodeaux running towards them, and blurted out "what the heck just happened?"

"The doctor- Master Venkman- he was- he wasn't himself." Thibodeaux panted "his voice, his mannerisms, it was like a whole different personality."

Ray's heart sank right to the earths core "Don't tell me-"

Thibodeaux looked from Ray to the Madame.

"He mentioned the name 'Tobias'".

Ray was ready to have a full on panic when he heard a loud and familiar yelp from inside the RV. Egon succeeded in picking the lock and threw the door open, right in time to be floored by Peter as he came pelting out THAT way. Peter tripped as his blind panic made his legs go weak and he barrelled right into the next person in his path.

Again the wind was knocked out of him as he landed, sprawled on the ground. Before he could claw his way to his feet, warm arms wrapped around him in a gentle hug and a familiar voice reached his ears.

"It's OK, it's me, Ray."

Peter stopped struggling and looked up. Sure enough, Ray's worried hazel eyes were mere inches from his. All the fight went out of him in an instant and Peter let himself slump against Ray's chest as Stantz sat them both up. He was shaking from adrenaline fade, the loud pound of his heart making it hard to focus.

Winston came jogging over along with the others, standing a few feet away as Ray calmed Venkman down from his panicked frenzy. After a few moments of quiet, hushed conversation, Peter sat back on his heels and Ray crouched next to him, keeping a hand on his arm.

"Something...something's wrong, Ray..." Peter whispered "something's in my head, it's-"

"Tobias…." Ray whispered and Peter nodded, looking exhausted and scared.

"What's happening, Ray?"

Egon came over, a piece of unfamiliar equipment in his hands. He wordlessly scanned Venkman, saying the levels were normal, compared to how they'd spiked during Peter's last memory lapse on their way here. Whatever had been there was gone now.

Peter spied the assistant who'd been chasing him and bolted to his feet, nearly knocking Egon on his butt, had the man not darted away fast enough. Hands settled on his shoulders and Peter went tense as a board.

"Chill, my man, it's me."

"Geez, Winston." Peter said, voice oddly higher pitched then normal, the only other giveaway for his sheer panic.

Egon said nothing, just checking the readings he was getting on the PKE Meter.

"Whats going ON?!" Peter got his voice back at last "why did I wake up TIED UP?! Somebody needs to explain, NOW."

"Do you remember your father detailing your, to his belief, "REAL" name?" Egon asked, putting the Meter away in his pocket. Peter was silent a moment as he wracked his brain, ending up saying:

"Yes, well, sort of…."

"On the way here, you were freaking those two out, telling them you didn't recognise them and your name WASN'T Peter." Winston explained, making Peter turn his head just enough to give him a bewildered look.

"What?" he bleated "I thought that was a hallucination."

"That explains a lot." Egon murmured, recalling Peter responding to Ray's kiss, only to drunkenly declare "mine!" before passing out.

Even Thibodeaux had to laugh when he heard this, seeing the bemused Venkman facepalm as Egon explained this loud enough for them all to hear.

"I don't know what YOU'RE laughing at," Peter glowered at Thibodeaux "there's still the matter of why you decided to tie me up."

"Whoever that other version of you was, it was potentially violent, I couldn't be sure the drugs would hold for long."

"Drugs?! What the heck did you give me?" Peter coughed, only NOW tasting the weird aftertaste of the medicine.

"It was a sedative liquid, it was the only tool to hand, sir."

"What was I...doing?" Peter asked hesitantly, glad his friends were clustered nearby, he felt safer with them there.

"When I found you, you had set a fire with an unnatural red flame, you were throwing a book onto the flames."

"A book?" Ray questioned.

"I believe it was one the rest of you were studying prior to now, whatever your beef was with it, you were intent on burning it."

"That's just weird." Peter croaked "I feel sick."

"It couldn't be helped, whatever had control clearly disliked the subject matter-"

"No, I mean I'm actually going to be sick, lemme go." Peter squeaked. No sooner had Winston done so then Peter did his roadrunner act back to the RV, kicking the door shut as he ran in, hard enough to make it lock. Again.

"Crap." Egon sighed, rummaging in his pockets for the pins he'd used.

"I'll go." Ray said, heading for the skylight again. The others waited outside as Ray vanished into the confines of the RV.

Marie frowned, sensing the exhausted man's trials weren't yet over. He'd need every bit of strength and courage he had to make it through...

* * *

Peter looked up from where he was tucked into the meagre space beside the toilet, seen who had come to check on him and smiled weakly.

Ray knelt down before him, kissing him on the forehead and stroking his hair, noting the slightly raised temperature of his skin.

"It's OK," he began, but Peter shook his head.

"It's not OK, I'm losing my mind-" it was like being back in the kitchen again, an uncontrollable wave of grief and confusion hitting him like a ton of bricks. Ray held him as best he could given the cramped bathroom, not saying a word. Just stroking his hair as the understandably confused Venkman got the matter under control. Ray kissed his forehead again, helping Peter to his feet and over to the sink. He didn't say a word as Peter splashed some water on his face and would've downed the entire bottle of mouthwash had Ray not taken it away from him.

"Better?" Ray asked.

"Y-yeah I guess..." Peter hiccuped uneasily, waiting a few seconds to ensure he wasn't going to be sick again. "yeah, I'm good."

Ray kept a steadying arm around him as he manually unlocked the door and led them outside.

* * *

"You alright young man?" Marie, who'd been silently observing all this, approached now. She could see how peaky and tired Venkman looked and she was reminded of Ray's worried statement whilst she'd patched Venkman up;

"He's forgetting who we are, who HE is."

Peter managed a weak nod, he'd kind of retreated into himself, giving a shellshocked air to the average observer.

"Let's get you to bed." Ray suggested, making Peter smile faintly.

"And here I thought you'd never ask." he said, waggling his eyebrows in an over-the-top flirty manner.

"Oh for- be serious Peter!" Ray bleated, as Winston laughed his ass off, backed up by Egon's smirking.

"Stop asking the impossible." Egon added. Peter glowered in his direction and stuck his tongue out, but the motion nearly made him lose his balance. Ray quickly steadied him again, keeping a firmer grip around his waist as he headed for the house.

* * *

Once inside Peter drank some more of that special soup Madame Laveau made, then Ray escorted him upstairs.

Unknown to him, Marie had added extra sedative remedy, in the hopes of keeping him asleep long enough for the help she'd summoned to get here. If as her assistant had said, this 'other self' was transitioning from incoherent to near fluid speech and movement- they were running out of time.

Peter gripped Stantz's hand as they reached the door and Ray was about to part from him.

"Peter?" he asked, again seeing that distant worry in his lover's eyes.

"Stay?" Peter asked, closing the small distance between them and letting his body rest against Ray's chest, nuzzling into his neck "I'd...like some company."

Ray nodded, leaving Peter only long enough to change into the pyjamas he'd brought, then he slipped into bed beside his partner. They didn't speak for several minutes, just shared kisses, hands lightly tracing each others bodies. Peter was very drowsy, his energy clearly drained by his run-in with Thibodeaux.

"Ray...my Ray.." Peter murmured and Ray kissed his forehead in affirmation.

"I'm here, Peter."

"If I...if I forget who I am again, promise me you'll make me remember. I don't care how, tell me the most perverted thing I've ever done or said, remind me I like the way you squeak when you're aroused-"

Ray blushed, squeaking on cue. Peter nodded, tapping Ray's chest with one finger as he yawned deeply.

"That, yes, do that. Or just hold me down and kiss me- damnit, now I want to do you senseless." he yawned again, nestling against Ray's chest "make a note, you. One of these nights, you and me aren't leaving this bed unless the worlds going to end, mmkay?"

"I promise." Ray whispered and Peter fell asleep, reassured by Ray's words.

"Im not leaving." Ray murmured as Peter clung to him, his breathing deep and even. Ray closed his eyes, keeping Peter close, guarding him against the bad things.

But the next day would hold some very strange surprises…

* * *

It began with a fever.

Ray woke to hearing Peter utter a low, pained sound. He opened his eyes, casting a worried glance at the man resting in his arms. Peter's face was flushed, a worried frown creasing his forehead. Ray gently free a hand from where it'd been secured around The man's back, pressing the back of his hand to Peter's forehead.

-Yikes.- he thought, wincing at how high Peter's temperature was. He gingerly freed himself from his partner, tucking the covers around him and setting a gentle kiss on his forehead before scampering next door to his own room to get dressed. He slipped downstairs, hearing faint voices from below-

Oh good, the others were here.

But as he stepped into the lobby, what he seen was not his friends. It was a group of around 15 people, some wearing normal clothes, others wearing more robe-like garments. They all fell silent as Ray reached the bottom of the stairs-

It felt like he'd just walked into a documentary about cults.

Ray felt the stares bore into him and clenched his hand on the railings. It was surreal and his first instinct was to grab his pack-

"Ah, Dr Stantz, perfect timing."

"Madame," Ray said respectfully, his eyes darting away from the strange gathering to the 200 year old "I'm glad I found you. Peter is- his fevers back."

"Ah, I see. Fret not, I will have a mixture made up that'll ease his fever."

"Madame Laveau." the leader of the group, as far as Ray could tell, a man who seemed ageless yet older then time stepped forward now. "Is this him?"

Marie shook her head. Pulling a magazine from her dress pocket, she opened it to a photoshoot Ray had a vague memory of happening a few months back. She must've picked the magazine up in town yesterday…

"This is the man in question, his name is Peter Venkman."

This caused a flurry of curiosity from the rows of assembled strangers.

Even the elders eyebrows raised as he took in the uniforms "Hm, 'Ghostbusters'? Is this real?"

Ray facepalmed.

"Theres a portable containment unit in the RV, you are more then welcome to take a look once Egon's awake." he groaned.

"Mock all you want, how can we be sure this isn't just some form of possession?" the old man squared his shoulders, apparently unimpressed by Ray's sarcasm. "you deal with ghosts and demons, do you not? With a name like that, there's no misunderstanding."

"Because we've seen what happens when people get possessed, and this aint even CLOSE."

"Winston!" Ray turned, seeing him and Egon standing at the balcony overlooking the hall.

"Ray? What's- hm?" Egon leant over the railings "this is unusual."

Madame Lavaeu beckoned them to join Ray, who looked like he had a case of the fidgets.

"This Dr Ray Stantz, Dr Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore." Marie said politely.

"These two got the brains, I'm the brawn." Winston smirked, eyeing the elder like he could take him in a fight "what's your business with Pete?"

"WE, are the Protectorate. Our job is to protect what few lines of magic are still active, so when we received a call that this "Peter Venkman" of yours was displaying abnormally high magic traces, we came here right away."

"Protecting magic?" Winston asked, a tad sceptical.

"As I said before, considering we hunt Ghosts, it's not entirely out of the realms of reality." Egon responded.

"Touché." Winston replied. The older man cleared his throat, interrupting the chatty pair. The third one, Stantz, was STILL eyeballing him. Ignoring the unexpected hostility, he spoke up;

"Factors inherent in the modern age have all but cut off what was once a plentiful level of magic users. Our aim is to find those who come into it via chance or hereditary causes and make sure their talents are not misused."

"That is why we came so urgently," the blonde woman spoke again, studying the Photo of Venkman in the magazine. He looked confident, a knowing smile on his face as he leant back against a brightly decorated car "to hear of a magic user going undetected for so long, it's quite rare."

"Yeah well, it wasn't a choice for Pete." Winston said with a frown "he wasn't even aware of it until some crazed lunatics kidnapped him."

"I have never heard of a case this strange," the elder said, sharing a look with the blonde "that is why it is vital we see this man ASAP, we have tests to do-"

"Peter's got a fever, nobody's going near him unless it's with a thermometer." Ray said firmly "if you want the full story, we can easily fill you in. After all, we've seen the whole thing from the start."

The Elder looked less than thrilled, but it was obvious this young man wasn't going to be deterred.

"No sense trying to talk to him if he's off his head on a fever," he conceded after a moment "very well, let's make do with what we can."

"Jackass." Winston said out of the corner of his mouth. Egon gave a barely visible nod. And Ray? Well, he had a stormy expression on his face, one that didn't relent even as they were all ushered to the main room with its impressive ceiling and bookshelves.

* * *

After some fun with seating arrangements, they were ready to begin. All three Ghostbusters sat on one couch, the various members of this strange order all staring at them from an assortment of chairs placed opposite. Marie sat in an armchair between the two sides, looking as calm and collected as ever. As many as possible had been seated, with the younger members forming a line around the circumference of the room.

"When did the subject start displaying any form of magic?" the Elder, full name Albert Rothchild, stared across at the trio.

"Pete started showing power fluctuations after he was kidnapped by a cult of crazies." Winston said, emphasising the name, an obvious jab at Rothchild calling Venkman a 'subject'. It reminded Ray of Ivan's cold tactic of never referring to Peter by his name, as if he was just a thing he could discard without care.

"What did they kidnap him for? Or was it just random selection?" The blonde woman (Caroline), asked. Ray liked her more than he did Rothchild, she at least showed some kindness in her words. Not that it made him trust these guys any, they'd yet to prove they weren't more harmful to Peter than what he was already dealing with before Ray would let them within 10 feet of Venkman.

"No, it was deliberate." Egon said, looking at Ray "do you want to take this? You remember that incident rather more clearly than Winston or I."

"Sure," Ray nodded, taking a deep breath he flashed back to that fateful night; "The firehouse was attacked and a group of men drugged and abducted Peter. We later found out it was all done at the request of Peter's father. Peter had been kept away from him for most of his life, for reasons shaped by his mother. Those goons were going to use him as a sacrifice in a twisted bid for power. We barely reached him in time, but the ritual was terminated and we took him to the hospital. We didn't suspect anything was wrong, but on waking up Peter was…..uneasy."

"He got startled and caused an entire hospital wings worth of lightbulbs to blow out all at once," Egon piped up "any machinery in a 5 metre radius was also affected, the ECG was going haywire. Data from the laptop I had with me showed it was originating from Peter, but..."

"But what?" Rothchild asked "you had evidence something was wrong, why didn't you get help?"

Egon frowned, hands clenching tightly. Ray looked ready to throw something, so Winston stepped in.

"I don't know how you lot do it, but us regular humans, we generally take a while to recover from something that traumatic. Pete was pretty shattered by the whole incident, we had to wait until he was able to cope. Having your life torn apart by a cult can have that effect, wouldn't you say?"

"He wouldn't stay in the same room as any of us for over two weeks," Egon continued, regaining his footing "he seemed to know something was wrong and he didn't want us to get hurt. Even if that meant figuring out what was wrong became a much more difficult task, we didn't force the matter. Attempts to make him talk always resulted in further power surges- I had to rewire the power or we'd have worn out the backup generator."

"He was just scared" Ray said stonily to the assembled group "we've seen the sorts of horrors that'd turn your hair WHITE. But this was beyond all of our imaginations, it was insane."

Rothchild raised an eyebrow at the hair jab, but said nothing.

"Eventually, he did let us approach and we were able to find out what he'd been told by his kidnappers." Egon continued after a moments pause "Peter's father had made a bargain with a demon, back when Peter was still a child. He'd gain levels of power previously unheard of, but it required the sacrifice of his only son, a bargain he callously agreed to."

Jaws dropped across the board and even Rothchild looked disgusted.

"Thankfully, Peter's mother was smart enough to abscond with him and possibly consulted a hypnotist to erase any knowledge of his heritage from his memory," Spengler consulted a pocket PDA "as best we can tell, she had records made up and near flawless papers made for Peter, so when the Cops answered an anonymous 911 call, they found what they believed to be a lost and abandoned child."

"And he was raised in obscurity after this?" Rothchild asked. It was an impressive stint this man's mother had gone to, all to protect her child.

"Yes, he had a normal life. Went to school, then university- you get the idea." Egon finished up, staring unblinkingly at Rothchild.

"This is very unusual," Caroline mused "why did she not bring him to a fellow magic institute or at least a safe house?"

"Maybe she didn't know?" Winston put in "or maybe she just wanted Pete to have a normal childhood? She's been listed as missing ever since. Pete hired a PI to try track her down, but no luck."

"If she's this proficient in subterfuge, I'm not surprised." A man stood next to Caroline piped up. Ray struggled to remember his name, was it Mark? Marcus?

"But that's not all," Ray spoke up, abandoning his efforts to remember so many new names "she left memories- messages and fragments of a spell, we believe. Hidden deep in his memory, it only surfaced once he'd started the process of overcoming the trauma. My guess is she wanted him to have a fighting chance if he did ever encounter his father again. She left NOTHING to chance."

"A suppressed memory?" Rothchild asked "what sort of spell?"

"Well that's the thing, we don't know fully what it was." Egon said "we only seen two thirds of it written down- the final version, as it were, showed up during the fight against Peter's father. Circumstances being what they were, writing it down was of a far lower importance then getting Peter to safety."

"We were bringing Peter here because whatever that energy was, it was causing him to become ill- he was getting worse the more his memory unlocked." Ray looked across at Madame "it was our only hope to save him before he burned out."

"Sounds like overload to me," Caroline said to Rothchild "the ritual his kidnappers began must've been far enough along that it woke up what had previously been dormant. No wonder it was such a shock, there was no guidance present."

"Can you describe these outbursts of his?" Rothchild asked curiously "even the slightest detail would help."

The three shared looks before Ray spoke;

"It really got started after he left the hospital- He excused himself from the ward and came home earlier then expected. Winston tried to ask him if he was sure he was alright with ditching the doctors care, but-"

He cut off, heart aching at the memory of the pale, almost wraith-like man that'd come home, his usual vibrance faded to grey.

"Pete clammed up, wouldn't tell us a thing. When I tried to make him hold up just a minute-" Winston sighed "this- whatever you wanna call it- magic? It spiked. Threw the lighting off whack, caused Spengler's laptop to catch fire, made the hair on the back of my neck go straight up. There were some red sparks, but they faded soon as Pete fled."

This seemed to cause a stir, some murmuring it was an indicator of older, more arcane magic.

Ray cleared his throat loudly and the Protectorate members withered slightly when they seen the glare this young man was giving them. Simply put; if looks could kill, they'd all be six feet under. The blonde woman titled her head slightly, she was picking up on some unusual readings from this particular man.

"Look," Winston said at last "let me explain it. Peter's father was an a-hole. He tried to sacrifice poor Peter when he was just a kid, he would've succeeded if the mother hadn't absconded with him. Pete didn't have a CLUE about any of it until the night of his kidnapping. Those creeps tortured him, drugged him and would've killed him if we hadn't reached him in time. It wasn't until later that we realised he was creating those blackout pulses every time he felt threatened."

"So you made plans to visit Madame?" Caroline asked, smiling assuringly at Ray in an effort to put him at ease.

Ray's hands clenched in his lap as he told the next bit "Yes, but we were lured into a trap set by Peter's father. He banked on the fact we'd investigate any spectral readings and he had enslaved a small gathering of ghosts to act as bait. He somehow lured Peter far enough from us that he could use some kind of shielding to keep us at bay."

"This sounds like a practised user- albeit one that's off grid- spells used to enslave are forbidden for a reason, that knowledge is kept locked away-"

"Well, clearly Peter's father was BEYOND what you expect!" Ray snapped "we didn't have a chance of stopping him."

"Then how did you escape? And why do you say "was" beyond our expectations?"

Egon nudged his glasses up his nose and spoke on with an air of calm.

"Because he's GONE. To where, we don't know. And we got away because of Peter, because of his actions. His father used US as leverage, threatened to break our necks if he didn't secure his sons co-operation."

Ray sighed softly "We thought it was all over, but Peter had one last trick up his sleeve. Somehow he was able to chain himself and his father together and unleashed whatever the spell in his memories contained. It knocked us all out, but Peter told me what happened when he regained consciousness. He saw the ghosts take his fathers magic- then they forcefully transferred it to him, so now he's at more risk than before we left!"

"What?" Rothchild said sharply "A transfer? how-?"

"We don't know, man" Winston said "we were knocked out cold by the blast."

"All Peter knows is what those spirits told him. They said he was 'suitable' because he was a direct heir." Egon said pointedly "my guess is they didn't want the father to have any chance of escape, so they took drastic measures."

"Then what?" The kinder looking woman asked, her eyes on Ray. Stantz flinched slightly, hating to discuss the suffering Peter had endured- but if these people could save Peter, he had to.

"When we found him after regaining consciousness, Peter sort of- he panicked. Yelled at us to keep our distance- Egon tried to approach but Peter accidentally unleashed some kind of seismic shock. Then, he bolted into the forest and we would've lost him if he hadn't unwittingly released another burst of power. We tracked it and just barely stopped a massive legion-like spirit from attacking him. After that, he passed out, I don't think he could physically go any further."

Dozens of questions poured forth; how had he done such a thing? What kind of power was he displaying? What control did he have-?

Marie gestured them to calm down, then she spoke.

"It would seem the ghosts of his father's victims were set free by the young mans efforts and they chose to shield him from his own spells blast, ensuring he survived with minimal injury. It also seems his father attempted to transplant a subservient personality during the confrontation but the process was disrupted by the young man choosing to fight back. This personality- the educated guesses formulated between myself and Dr Spengler are that it was what the man in questions father believed his son should have been."

Ray nodded, "He briefly thought he was someone else, repeating a name his father alluded to during our run-in with him. Tobias." he said heavily.

Speculative whispers abounded as the new arrivals posed theories as to what to do.

"One question demands immediate answer; just who WAS this young man's father?" the older wizard asked once the whispers had quietened down.

Egon frowned, suddenly unsure if he should say it. Marie gave a nod and he took a deep breath.

"We heard him say 'Ashwood'-"

The room exploded, a cacophony of voices all at once. Curiosity, anger, panic. Marie calmed them down. Egon's eyes widened slightly, which was on a par with your typical person uttering a loud yelp and diving behind the couch.

"I understand the name has a nasty history-" He began, but was swiftly cut off.

"The Ashwood's were and clearly still remain a disgrace to magic-" the old man said with such fury it silenced Spengler, his demeanour changing rather abruptly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ray was on his feet in an instant, hands clenched at his sides.

"Figures that clan would find a way to program a sleeper agent." the leader said, meeting Ray's glare.

"Agent-?! Were you even listening?!" Ray snapped back "even his father had believed Peter was dead until he found out about the Ghostbusters. He'd given him up for lost, assuming he and his mother had perished. Peter meant nothing to him, he was just a tool. He was happy to sacrifice his own son for a bid at more power for pity's sake!"

"Exactly." Egon frowned at the group "it is an outdated belief to pin the sins of the father on their children. It carries an air of wilful ignorance, to not even learn the context of the situation before condemning a man."

"I don't expect you to have any knowledge of these matters, but the Ashwood's were an ARMY. An army singularly dedicated to gaining control at all costs. They were ruthless back then and this silence from them is clearly the calm before the storm. I always feared they were making another power play and now it seems this man is key."

"The old man's gone, a bunch of angry-ass ghosts took care of it for you. Wherever he is, he aint a threat cos his power's gone. Drained. Poof. Chill, man." Winston sniped, looking at Rothchild like he clearly though the guy was going full Ahab on him. Only instead of chasing a giant whale, this guy was chasing a wizard.

The old man looked about ready to argue with the former marine but the blonde woman stopped him. She looked at Ray, who was still in a battle-ready stance.

"You seem to know him best, what kind of man is he?"

"Not a bad one," Ray said firmly "he might act like a shameless, sarcastic know-it-all, but it's just a facade. Beneath that, he's smart, he can read people like a book."

"He's loyal, the mans got more balls then many of the recruits I trained in the marines." Winston added calmly "And I've seen about every kind of personality you can imagine."

Egon nodded "He cares more than he lets on, and will go to any length to protect what's important to him. That's why he was willing to potentially be destroyed just to put an end to his father's madness. He did it to save US."

"So if I hear one more round of "his father was bad, so he must be", I solemnly swear I will knock the speaker on their ass so hard, they'll be sitting funny for a week-" Ray finished.

"Ray!" Egon coughed, raising an eyebrow as if to say 'tone it down, will you?'

Ray ignored him however, keeping his gaze fixed on the group as a whole "I'm not scared of you. We've faced worse, been to hell itself, nearly been blown up- you name it, we've seen it. Peter is nothing like his father-"

"Yeah, he's so far from the apple tree, technically I think he's a pear." Winston snorted, backing Ray up. Egon smiled, then nodded.

Curious murmurs abounded, the passionate defence had said a lot about the man, this 'Peter'. He had some very stalwart friends it seemed, particularly the outspoken raven-haired one.

"We've known him for a long time, Ray and I." Egon interjected "we attended university together, he was the one who came up with the idea to make Ghostbusters a reality. He's a psychologist, not some mad wizard."

"We'd still like to see him," the woman said "at the very least, we need to ascertain his capabilities."

"An Ashwood is still an Ashwood," the old man muttered "but very well, let's wait until he decides to rouse from his bed. If he is really as divergent as you claim from THAT family, then there is much to discuss."

Ray gave him another glare, but Marie stepped up to him as the group filed out to explore the house and grounds at Marie's invitation, setting a hand on his arm.

"I understand your concerns doctor Stantz, Elder Rothchild is very set in the old ways. His second in command, Elder Caroline, she is a kind woman who will ensure the poor man does not endure anything untoward. She's an old friend of mine, we met here in New Orleans at a celebration."

"Good, because I think Ray will personally kick some ass if they lay one finger on him." Winston murmured to Egon, who nodded.

* * *

Marie bid Ray to accompany her to the kitchen to mix the drink to combat Peter's fever. He found himself barely about to speak much, too worried about Peter having to re-live what he'd been through…

Once she'd sent Ray off with the drink, to undoubtedly lavish attention on the bed-bound Venkman, Marie asked the remaining two if they would mind assisting her with some books in her attic?

"I have some volumes I believe you could make far more use of than I." she said to Egon, who looked as close to grinning as he could show. Winston chuckled, shaking his head good naturedly as he followed the two to the upper floors.

When he seen the size of the attic, he let out a low whistle.

"Man, you could fit my whole apartment in here. Twice."

"I'd say four, for me." Egon mused.

"Where do you live, my man? A shoebox?!" Winston looked baffled. Egon coughed, scratching the back of his neck, mumbling something about his equipment and Winston just patted him on the back, then they followed Marie through the dimly lit attic. A few small windows were set high up in the walls, but what was apparently a legion of spiders had made sure their webs doubled as half-assed blinds.

* * *

Up in his room, Peter was actually awake and bored. He looked around, wondering where Ray went to? He didn't worry, he knew he'd likely gone to get breakfast and hadn't wanted to disturb him.

His beloved Raymond, ever the sweetheart, wasn't he?

So Peter staggered into the shower, still feeling a little unsteady. He could sense a wellspring of power waiting within him- he shivered and pushed the thought away, he didn't want to acknowledge it. Whatever had been in that soup he'd been consuming- it was working. He felt better then he had at last memory.

Clean clothes had been laid out for him. They were a little formal, he guessed they belonged to Maries assistant, he knew his clothing from the fight had been written off- blood-soaked and torn.

Curious to find his friends, he slipped out of his room. Along a corridor and he stopped at a massive window. Down below, he could see cars parked in the driveway. He caught a glimpse of Marie's assistant, he forgot the guys name sadly- and by the looks of it he was playing the role of valet- a house like this probably had private parking round the back…

He snapped free from the brief meander his mind had taken and slowly made his way downstairs. Something prickled on the edge of his senses, but he was too weary to read much into it. He just needed to find Raymond and the others. Maybe then this feeling of coming undone would cease?

Spying a patio door left ajar, he slipped outside. A warm breeze ruffled his hair and he was reminded of the way Ray stroked his hair when he'd been lying in bed, a soothing action that just made him want his partner even more.

They were somewhere in this house, he was certain of it. HOW he knew, he didn't like to think- hadn't Ray suggested precognisence?

* * *

Despite his best efforts to follow his instinct, however, he got turned around and ended up round the side of the massive estate.

How on earth did Marie live here without getting lost every five minutes? He slumped against the wall, feeling a bit dizzy after the brief ramble. Spotting a tap jutting out from the wall, he knelt down and splashed some water on his face, feeling a little better as he dried his face on his sleeve-

"Oh!' a female voice broke into his daze, it sounded surprised.

Peter stumbled up and back on impulse, before stopping and taking in the oddly garbed woman before him. He hadn't heard her creep up on him, not even on the gravel beneath their feet.

Something gnawed at the back of his mind, who was she? Instinct told him to keep his distance, so he backed up, but barely a few steps passed then the dizziness hit again and he stumbled.

"Are you feeling alright, Dr Venkman?" the woman asked, sounding genuinely concerned as she approached him. There was no mistaking this man- she'd just been looking at a photo of him. Although he looked a far sight paler, thinner and almost less substantial then the photograph.

"I dunno how you got my name, doll, but you need to just….go. I'm fine."

Peter shook his head as he spoke, taking a cautious step back from her even as she reached out to steady him.

"I'm not here to harm you, Madame called us here-" she began, but Peter shook his head.

"I don't know who you know- I mean WHAT you know- I know you're like him, a magician-"

His words tapered off into silence as he swayed slightly on his feet for a moment, collapsing a second later. She caught him deftly, slinging his arm across her shoulders, looking for somewhere to set him down.

There, a big oak tree that offered shade from the suns glare. She laid him down, propped up by the base of the tree. Gingerly she pressed her hand to his forehead, murmuring something under her breath as her eyes glowed faintly. When she stopped, his breathing was a little less ragged.

She studied him curiously, seeing the strain this burden was putting on his body. He required their aid, that was for certain...

Spotting a door leading back into the house, she decided to go fetch somebody to check the man over and carry him back to his room….why he was out of bed and wandering around was a mystery.

As she vanished inside, a shadow seemed to flicker over the unconscious man's face.

* * *

Peter opened his eyes, uttering a loud yelp for reasons unknown. His voice seemed to bounce around in the darkness, so he chanced opening his eyes. He was lying in a dimly lit space, kind of like that strange dream he'd had in the RV. Only, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wake up.

-Where am I?- he thought desperately.

'At the point where you come to an end, I'm afraid. Hate to break it to you- but I need your body.'

-Only one person can get away with saying that,- Peter snarled, looking around for the owner of the voice –and you are NOT him.-

'Oh that's right, your mind's in your pants. Thankfully I only need to put up with you for a day longer.'

Peter's heart sank as he flashed back to waking up in the RV to the feel of Ray's lips on his. He questioned now WHY Ray had woken him with a kiss. But he hadn't been sleeping, had he?

-That was YOU.- he thought incredulously.

'Yes, I admit I got rather startled by your little friend planting one on me, I was still testing the waters when that happened, hence my rather disgraceful loss to YOUR inferior mind. The second time was marginally less humiliating- who'd suspect a stuffy old aide could fight like that? But luckily, I learn fast. I was designed for this. I AM the ritual you escaped.'

Peter recalled Thibodeaux saying he'd fought him and finally succeeded in drugging him. The drug must've loosened Tobias grip on his mind- Peter shuddered at how close he'd come to literally losing his mind. Although it'd seemed to just be delaying the inevitable, Peter realised with a sinking stomach, he was well and truly trapped.

'Good, I'm glad you're up to speed. Now, I have work to do. This time, nobody's standing in my way, not even your meddlesome friends.'

-Stay away from them!- Peter snarled, but his only reply was laughter.

'Never let it be said I'm not a kind host, I'll let you watch your world come crashing down until I have no further need of you.'

And with a strange popping sensation, Peter knew he was left alone again.

One portion of the seemingly needless room lit up with a faint glow and he realised he was outside, lying under a tree.

* * *

"We need to get a doctor, he's not waking up!"

"It's definitely him, isn't it? From the photograph."

"Well, I called Elder Rothchild, he'll be here in a sec and hes brining Elder Caroline and the others..."

Tobias kept his eyes closed a moment longer, relishing the sensation of having access to a physical human body once more. This time, that foolish OG personality wasn't going to get it back. Weak. Pathetic. Letting his heart be claimed so readily by another. What a waste.

Opening his eyes, he got steadily to his feet, hearing startled yelps from the two that'd apparently stumbled across him. They were young, wearing robes Tobias recognised as belonging to the Protectorate. He snarled silently- figures he'd run into them again. They'd been a the bane of his line since his grandfather's days- always meddling and trying to seize control.

"Whoa there- hey, you OK?" the first one asked, seeing Peter staring at him wordless confusion.

"It's Dr Venkman, right?" the second asked nervously. Peter shrugged, turning his attention to the tree. It contained powerful magic of tis own, this thing was ancient. He smiled, setting a hand on tis ancient truck and feeling a surge of energy race from his palm to to his feet. It'd been a pleasant surprise to discover this tree during his late night exploration. It hadn't taken long to disable the wards on the house and slip outside. But operating a body while it was technically asleep was easier said then done and eventually he'd had to relinquish it. In the middle of a hallway, sure, but who cared?

"Call me that if you wish, but I've got a better name for you."

"Huh, what do you mean?" the second asked, getting an unsettling feeling from this guy. He was an empath, so he relied of peoples emotions to help work out what was going on. But this guy, he gave off nothing, just a cold, like steel.

The first acolyte realised too late that something was wrong, as Peter turned to face them, palm up. Hovering over it was a glowing red ball that began to shine blindingly.

"That's Ashwood to you!" Tobias laughed, grasping the glowing orb in his hands and shattering it. A shield flashed into being around him, forcing his unsuspecting helpers to run lest it hit them. The shimmering Red dome soon covered the entire radius of the tree and Tobias grinned as he seen more figures running from the distant house. He leant back against the tree, smirking as they assembled at the base of the shield. Fools.

-Stop it!- suddenly, he heard the buzzing of HIS voice again. That blasted OG self. Tobias swatted him aside him his mind, satisfied by the cry of pain as it trailed off into a series of hacking whimpers. That was the fun thing about mental torture, he could make 'Peter' as he known, well, believe anything. Including a few shattered ribs, if it shut him up.

* * *

Peter knew he had to stop this, it wasn't him! He was many things- but he wasn't a monster. He recalled Ray telling him he was a hero for facing his father and felt a strong surge of need, for his lover, his friends. But they couldn't save him now, he was on his own.

Alone and utterly stuck in his own head.

And as promised, Tobias was letting him see the destruction unfold.

* * *

Rothchild ran as fast as his older frame would let him, bellowing commands for the crowd to part- let him see-!

He reached the front of the gathering and felt a surge of shock at what was there.

An expansive red shield, exactly like the one from the Ghostbuster's description- but this was impossible, surely. The man was a novice-

Words drifted back to him, phrases about a 'subservient personality'. Only it wasn't so enslaved now, was it?

Visible through the shield was the subject, 'Peter Venkman', only Rothchild had a feeling that wasn't the name he went by.

"What happened?" he barked and one of the two that'd stumbled across Peter and thus been the first witnesses to his power turned to him now.

"He- he was unconscious, we thought he was sick. Suddenly he woke up, but he didn't seem right-" the kid broke off with a shiver "I asked him if he was the subject 'Dr Venkman', and he just laughed, saying he had a better name now."

"Don't tell me," Rothchild cursed.

"Ashwood." the second acolyte said, looking up at Peter, "I think this is what his friends were afraid of, this isn't the same man anymore."

Rothchild looked up at the figure posed so nonchalantly against the trunk of the tree. His eyes were closed, a small smirk playing on his lips. Even from this distance, he radiated a power Rothchild hadn't felt in decades. Not since his last encounter with this family- when he thought they'd finally been stopped. When three of his students had been lost, because of this man's FATHER-

"Ashwood." he barked, not knowing or caring what his first name was. His surname was a curse all its own. One that he had a duty to stop, the Ashwood's could NOT be allowed to get their claws into the world again.

Tobias opened his eyes, and upon seeing them all gaping at him now he smiled an executed a mocking bow-

"Welcome, one and all, to the bit where your meddling asses are finally kicked for good."

He seen an Elder glaring at him and smirked, what a surprise! Father had left warnings about meddling fools and none featured more prominently then the man who'd hounded their family since his grandfather's days. Of course he was much older now, but there was no mistaking him from the memories father had left behind.

"Well well, this IS a surprise! Rothchild, isn't it? He talked about YOU- sanctimonious old fart. Was your last defeat not enough to drill some sense into you, you bring more fodder to the fight-"

"Silence!" Rothchild barked, seeing Peter/Tobias' eyes narrow at being cut off, but he continued "the only thing your clan has brought is ruin, its time the world was offered safety from your influence-"

"Give it UP, you old coot." the man said with a mocking laugh "you didn't fare well against my father, what makes you think I'M going to fall to your weak little group?"

"Because that body is not YOURS, you're still at a disadvantage. Just answer me this; Who WAS the personality you hid behind, this "Peter Venkman?""

"Him?" The man shrugged "he was a stopgap- I suppose he's technically the original owner, but there's no need for him now- I'm here. Picking up where my father should've." He shrugged, stepping away from the tree. As if curious, he stretched his arms over his head, giving the human body he inhabited a once over "Perfect, really. Being a blood descendant, he'll be a natural at this once I get his body familiar with how spells work. I cant wake it all up, such a pity- but he'll be able to withstand enough to ensure you're no longer a problem."

"What about your friends?" an unknown face, a man by the name of Marcus asked, stepping forward to meet Peter's eyes "They'll know this isn't you, especially the younger one, Stantz, wasn't it?"

* * *

Hidden away in his subconscious, Peter felt his heart ache at those words and he picked himself up, throwing himself at the barrier once again, screaming Ray's name-

* * *

Tobias snarled as an intense pain erupted along one side of his head, blasted fool! Did he really think he could save anyone now?! He braced a hand against his pounding head, delivering another painful mental volley to the interfering personality.

"Doctor-?" Marcus stepped forward now, but cut off the next second as Venkman began to laugh and the hand dropped back to his side. He straightened himself up, as if the headache had never been there, wiping tears of amusement from his eyes.

"Oh, that's cute. A for effort, but that won't work. Father had a lifetime to create me, what makes you think that utter NOVICE up here-" he tapped his head "is gonna succeed? He doesn't know what he's dealing with. Raised in ignorance and pampered by clueless idiots."

The handful of others that'd followed him were casting worried glances. This seemed the total opposite of the description the one named Stantz had given them earlier…How had it gained control so fast?

"What name do you claim?" Rothchild barked, feeling his magic shift uneasily- it was champing at the bit to finally do what he'd failed before- stop an Ashwood. Destroy one to save many- it had to be done. But he had to keep this lunatic talking just a moment longer...

"Me?" Tobias grinned widely "I am Tobias Ashwood, and I am the family now."

Marcus shivered, the voice was so unnerving. It didn't fit, like wearing a suit the wrong size for you. This was only made more obvious by the way the man moved, it was stilted- an obvious indicator he'd forced control over the body.

"It was supposed to be so simple- sacrifice the child, get the power he wanted. But it was disrupted, first by his mother abducting him the night of the original ritual, then again when those cretinous little 'Ghostbusters' broke the door down and destroyed the circle. Years of waiting, slumbering in a void, to come so close to completion only to be beaten by those fools. Unbearable."

He scowled at the mere thought of his host body's friends, he'd ensure they suffered in due time.

"But eventually, father knew they'd have to seek help to save their friend and thats when he struck. That little fool may have managed to pull off a far more advanced spell than father ever anticipated but enough of me was already in his head- all I had to was wait, slowly rebuild myself while he slept. It was easy, his defences were decimated by the revelation that his whole life was a fabrication. It was too much for him to deal with- not even his friends could console him this time. He was in such delightful pain- Practically INVITING me in. What's he got left to fight for now?"

"He has Dr Stantz." Marcus tried again, he had an inkling Ray's defence had been fuelled by more than just friendship. Sure enough, the name seemed to upset Ashwood, as he snarled and punched a fist into the tree, blood trickling down over his hand.

"Why do you keep bringing up that name like it means anything to me? You're wasting your time."

"Am I? It's obvious he cares about what happens to you, or should I say, what happens to Dr Venkman."

Tobias snarled and the shield pulsed, emitting a strong wave of energy that shook the ground beneath them.

"Venkman is GONE. His own trauma is going to finish him off, although I must give him credit for being stubborn. Even as helpless as he is, he's still trying to fight me. That's why I need to wrap up things and get away from here. You can step aside or you can act as target practise-" he held up a hand, grinning-

* * *

While Marcus attempted diplomacy, Rothchild and Caroline had been conferring. What he was suggesting shocked her-

"You cant be serious, Elder. The real owner of that body- he's innocent in all of this. I understand your ties to that name, but-"

"Then you understand why this has to be. If we allow another Ashwood to be unleashed on the world, we risk more than just a few angry ghost chasers."

"Ghostbusters."

"I could care less for their little act- they're too loyal, they'll only muddy the waters if this reaches them before I'm done. I'm sorry to that young man, but it's my job to-"

They cut off as they heard the words "target practise". In one sweep, Rothchild motioned the crowd behind him. HIs age did little to hamper him now his magic was fully awake, he'd shaken off every limit he normally operated under. He wasn't taking any chance, not with the last remaining Ashwood right in front of him!

"Enough talk, have at you!" the Elder snarled. A yellowish light wrapped around his hand and he thrust his hand at the shield, the projectile slamming into it with a hefty amount of force. Shards of light sprayed in all directions. The whole thing happened in a split second, there and gone-

* * *

Tobias cried out in pain, struggling to marshal this newbies body to wield his fathers magic, did it have to be so sluggish?! He was not going to fail his father now-

"Sir!" Marcus looked frantic "what are you doing?"

"An Ashwood is an Ashwood- its regrettable that the host body is at risk, but we have a duty to stop dangerous magic- I have a DUTY to stop this family line before I see any more of our own wiped out."

"There has to be another way- he's an innocent man-"

"It's too late-" Rothchild repeated, eyes still locked on Tobias "that monster owns his body now- the one we came here to see is likely lost, buried beneath a mental onslaught that left it too weak to stop this takeover. I'm sorry, but the threat is too great. The past cannot be allowed to repeat, I will not lose any further students!"

He pushed Marcus aside, the pain of the past tunnelling his vision to one thing: stop Ashwood.

Shaking her head, Caroline turned and slipped away- she had to find Dr Stantz, now!

Marcus watched her go, sharing her concern. He looked back up at Venkman, convinced something could be done, the man didn't deserve to die...

* * *

Rothchild's next attack was a trio of searing yellow blasts- they pounded into the shimmering red shield like missiles. The air warped and shifted, shard of crystalline yellow falling to the grass and melting away as the magic dispersed.

Tobias coughed, his stomach felt like it'd just been walloped by a bad-tempered kangaroo. He staggered, scrabbling for purchase on the tree trunk and just barely saving himself from collapse. Sweat stung his eyes and he coughed, wiping blood from his lip where he'd bitten it.

Placing his hand on the tree, he reached into Peter's memory, recalling how he'd split the road back at the abandoned town.

The ground shook and with a loud crunch, a whole section of the ground heaved up unnaturally, sending many of the gathering stumbling back.

Tobias laughed triumphantly, but then he heard that little voice in the back of his head.

-Get out of my body, you monster!-

He closed his eyes, returning to the part of his mind where Peter was caged.

* * *

'Give it up, you're done. It's MY life now- you're too busy feeling sorry for yourself to use it. Now be a good prisoner and stay there, I have work to do'

He sensed the anger of the body's former personality, fancied there was a small shard of father's fury buried deep within.

-I kicked a monster out of my body before- Peter screamed futilely as Tobias faded away, leaving him in limbo once more, with only the insanity going on outside to keep him company. -You're just another type 7!-

Tobias dismissed him, opening his eyes again as he seen that elder gearing up for another blow. He readied his power, relishing in the sheer untapped capacity of it. It was wasted in the hands of someone like 'Venkman'. What did he have that cold possibly beat a legacy that'd waited almost 30 years to be passed on?!

* * *

The air crackled with the promise of a fight to rival the images that flooded Tobias vision. He'd make his father proud. He'd waste that meddling cult for good, then hunt down those that'd taken his father away. He'd find him and they'd take this world for themselves-

All the tightly wound atmosphere, all the tension twisted by torque that could not be measured by mans equipment and senses-

It all snapped- like chains holding a feral beast- as an unforeseen variable forced the brackets apart- broke the calculations.

All in the form of one man.

One man who loved Peter Venkman more than anything in the world.

* * *

Ray had made his way to Peter's room, carrying a bottle of Marie's restorative draught. His heart stuttered happily- he would sit with Peter while he drank- hold him if he felt tired…

Then try to find a way to break it to him that a bunch of stuck-up traditionalists were here to poke and prod. He set a hand on the door, thought process veering off course as a jolt ran through him.

He stared at the doorknob, rubbing his tingling hand, mistaking it for static. Odd, but nothing to be concerned over. Ray knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

"Peter? It's me, Ray, I'm coming in- h-hope your decent..."

His face flushed as he said those words aloud, imagining Venkman would tease him for being so shy. Had he not undressed that same body, traced his hands over it and left his shy, gentle mark upon it?

-Pay. Attention.- Ray lectured himself as he opened the door- only for any good feeling to evaporate to be replaced with panic. Peter wasn't there. The bed was empty, its covers thrown aside with casual abandon. Ray checked the bathroom, it'd been recently used- but no Peter there. The bottle dropped from his hands, clattering to the floor and by some miracle remaining intact.

Ray turned and ran, heart in his throat. Where was Peter? Why did Ray feel so scared, he'd just wandered off to explore the house, right? Or maybe he was looking for Ray?

Or breakfast?

These desperate guesses were halted as he careened round a corner, smacking into someones body- a flash of blonde hair he recognised.

"Ma'am?" he said, unable to remember her name in the urgency.

"You're- Oh, thank goodness!" She looked relieved to find him "I found your friend, he's in terrible danger-"

"Peter?!" Ray's eyes went wide "what happened, what danger?!"

"He's outside, I carried him to rest under a big oak tree. This way..." She motioned him to follow her and Ray darted alongside, unease coiling in his gut.

"I'm sorry, I tried to sway his hand-"

"Who's?" Ray wheezed, fighting nausea as they ran.

"Elder Rothchild's- he insisted he has to stop your friend. I'm sorry..."

"Sorry-?!" Ray parroted, what did she mean? She stopped, eyes filled with a deep sympathy.

"He aims to fight Ashwood, to the death if needs be."

Ray's mind went blank and he heard her voice calling after him as he ran off at a speed he didn't think he'd ever moved at. This couldn't be. He wouldn't let anyone hurt his Peter- the man he'd fallen for back when they were at university together. A love he'd carried in secret, buried beneath years of guilt, only now free to express itself as strongly as he desired.

He was NOT losing that now.

* * *

Part of him was faintly aware of Caroline struggling to keep up with him as he pelted through the halls. He shoulder-charged the nearest set of doors, nearly tearing them off their hinges in his haste- racing in what looked like a random direction to most but to Ray's mind- it all led to Peter. Fear he wasn't sure was all his own crowded his mind, his own name echoing in his head. He darted up a slope, running parallel to its bottom, heading towards a glimmering red dome. It reminded him of the fight against the older Ashwood, with a sinking feeling Ray understood Peter had finally lost the fight to 'Tobias'.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl, as Ray seen Rothchild, face a mask of twisted fury, gearing another searing blast of power, aiming to level Peters defences. Something deep inside told Ray that if that shot hit Peter- it'd all be over. Not expecting to be able to simply waltz through the shield, he aimed for where the Elder stood. Everyone's eyes were on Peter and the mostly even fight that was playing out in fits and starts of power.

None of them seen Ray until it was too late.

* * *

Tobias tasted blood as Rothchild's blasts hit one after another. This body was too sluggish, it wasn't acting fast enough- was he going to be doomed by timing, if there'd been just one more day-

It came down to this- he had to fight fire with fire, he began constructing an attack vector- his focus narrowed to the target-

His concentration was broken as a blur raced between them, too hard to tell-!

And by the time he registered who it was he seen, so too did 'Peter'.

* * *

In a better time, Ray would have marvelled at such a sight, real magic, who'd have thunk it? But none of that mattered worth a damn if Peter was in danger- Ray had promised himself he'd give Peter the love and care he so dearly deserved.

He skidded to a halt in front of the shield, arms out held, voice rasping in his ears-

"Please, wait-!"

He seen the elders eyes widen, seen him try to pull his attack up short-

But it was too late, and the magical shot hit Ray in the left shoulder. It felt like a white hot flame- the agony of it briefly made Ray black out. He was aware of falling, a strange shimmering sensation running through his limbs…

* * *

Peter halted his futile assault on the walls of his prison, blood turning to ice as he seen someone place themselves between him and the Elder, his hands outstretched in a gesture of peace-

His blood froze as Peter seen the shot hit Ray, heard his lovers cry of pain. Seen him phase THROUGH the shield somehow, as if even his magic recognised Ray's importance to him. The cage around his mind shattered as Peter shouted the name of the one person he'd give everything to save. The one who'd loved him regardless of how much he tried to hide, who kissed him with such succinct love it made his limbs turn to jelly.

The universe swung on its axis and lurched, but somehow- he was suddenly back in his body. He swayed on his feet- the world snapping back to clarity. Time unfroze as he drew in a single ragged breath, lungs feeling like he'd been drowning in a pit of needles.

"RAY!" the word tore from his throat, as he forced his body towards where he seen Ray's limp form lying in the grass. He could barely stay upright, not so much stopping as crumpling beside Ray's body.

He wasn't breathing, Peter realised, with a sickening clarity.

"No, don't you dare do this to me.." he begged, coughing as the glass shards in his lungs tried to force their way out. He seen blood staining his hands and gagged, but pursued it aside, shaking hands leaving bloody smears on Ray's once pristine collar as he joined his hands over the mans heart.

"Don't you...please..." he hiccuped, barely forming words. He didn't see a single spark dart along his hands as he tried to resuscitate the love of his life. Nor the other that followed. He begged Ray to wake up, to breathe-

Amidst the blur of blood and tears, a stronger spark appeared, this one leaping from his hands into the still form of the one beneath him. Peter couldn't see through his panic-

But he DID feel the body convulse, a gasp of air and further shuddering breaths reaching his ears.

* * *

Ray was jolted awake by his heart literally skipping a beat. A skip that was accompanied by a sharp red flash. Things flooded back like a tsunami, a drunken slideshow in the hands of a hopped-up operator. He didn't know what'd happened, he'd been hit-

A voice reached him, raspy and frightened.

Opening his eyes he seen a blur that solidified into a face he knew so well. Red dots sparkled at the edges of his vision but soon faded away as he seen-

"P..peter?" he coughed. He seen tears of relief well up in Venkman's eyes, falling onto clothing marred by blood, dirt and scorch marks.

"Ray….my Ray..." Peter said shakily, one shaking hand remaining resting over Ray's heart, the other moving to cup his cheek lovingly. "I thought I'd lost you-? Don't do that to me, please...I need you."

"Hey...it's okay...I'm not leaving, remember?" Ray said sleepily, moving his hand to rest over Peter's. Peter was silent, unable to speak from relief and panic- Ray was alive!

"How?" Peter asked at last "how are you so sure I'm worth risking everything for?"

"Because I believe in you, and thats what love IS, Peter." Ray said softly as he tried to move "you're always gonna be worth saving..."

Peter was hit by the strongest urge to kiss him, but before he could even lean down-

"Ugh, nauseating."

* * *

Both froze as the voice echoed from behind where they were crouched. As the pair stared in horror, a purple shape began to coalesce at the base of the tree…

Rothchild was frozen, shock and disbelief vying for dominance as he seen what Ray did. Had the man lost his mind? Was he really so blinded by loyalty that he'd throw his own life under the wheels-

But something clicked as he seen the drastic change in the 'subjects' demeanour. Something shimmered around him, then he snapped into motion, shouting his friend's name as he dove for the halfway point between the shield and the tree where the other young man had landed. He wasn't moving. He seen the frantic efforts to wake him- faintly seen tears of relief as the injured one finally stirred. It hit him then, as he watched the subject press a shaking hand to the injured ones cheek-

It wasn't misguided loyalty. It was LOVE.

But his attention was torn away from the scene before him as a third voice spoke up from within the dome.

"Ugh, nauseating."

All eyes, including those of the two lovers, were drawn to the tree. Where a semi-corporeal figure had formed seemingly from thin air. He was a faint reddish purple colour and had chosen to mimic the appearance of his 'host' body. Meaning Peter found himself staring at a carbon copy of himself, right down to the clothing.

Not QUITE the oddest thing he'd ever seen, but it was up there.

"This is all very cutesy, but I don't have time to waste letting you two say goodbye. That body is mine, and if you know whats good for you, you'll-"

Peter cut in with a harsh, brash laugh.

"When have I EVER done what's best for me? Ask my friends, my foster parents- heck, the numerous paramedics I've encountered as well- I'm sure they'd all have something to tell you. You're not inhabiting anything, so beat it."

Tobias chuckled, staring down at the two as Ray tried to sit but Peter made him stay still, their fingers still hopelessly intertwined.

"Giving me the boot was impressive, I'll give you that. It's a shame you're such a disgrace, otherwise I'd consider leaving some fragment of you 'alive' as it were. But no, your life ends here, I'm sorry to say."

He flexed one hand and Peter felt the broken glass in his lungs move and shift, forcing him to release Ray's hand to press both of his own over his mouth. The coughing this time was painful and more protracted then before, his vision swam with black dots and only shock kept him from gagging at the taste of blood.

Movement next to him told him Ray was sitting up despite the pain he was in. A gentle, shaking hand settled on the back of his neck and the other drew Peter's hands away from his face.

Ray paled when he seen the blood streaking Peter's palms.

"What are you doing to him?!" he shouted furiously, but his anger only served to make Tobias smirk.

"Asserting control. As I said, I'm taking control one way or another…."

The words blurred to nothing as Peter realised how dire the situation was. Tobias had access to his power now, he could feel his pathetic understanding of it slowly dooming him. He recalled Marie saying his power would be defined by who HE chose to be. It was a weak connection he shared with this 'magic', but it was HIS. And it was all he had.

He heard a commotion behind him and glanced back over his shoulder for a second. What he seen gave him an idea, a spark to ignite something far stronger. Hope brought fresh strength to his aching body and the pain briefly allowed itself to be pushed aside as he turned his attention back to the scene playing out inside the bubble.

Winston had once said nobody could replicate what Peter did, how he worked. Time to use that to his advantage.

A weapon far greater then just his own.

Ray was shouting obscenities at Tobias, calling him the sort of things he normally only reserved for town hall. Peter had always found it cute when Ray cursed, so much rude language coming from such an adorable young man. Even in the throes of pleasure, the cutie never let his language slip...

-you and your crazy father!" Ray finished.

"Are you done?" Tobias sneered, impatience growing again.

Ray was surprised when Peter spoke up, voice sounding somehow stronger then before.

"He may be, but WE aren't. You wanna have your own body? Well too bad, this one aint it. And don't even look at Ray-"

"Will you stop with the lovey-dovey crap, you're only making this harder on yourself-"

"That's what he said." Peter smirked, making Tobias actually falter slightly in confusion, before carrying on.

"You're really willing to throw your friends lives away? You need to think long and hard about-"

"Excuse me, that's private." Peter snuck in, smirking lewdly.

"You ass-"

"Please direct all enquiries to my probably embarrassed friend here." Peter jibed, making Ray blush right on cue.

Tobias snapped at last, temper flaring as he gave vent to his frustration.

"Shut up! Just SHUT. UP. What is it with you and the sexual innuendoes? Are you completely brainless?!"

"You tell me, you've been living in my head." Peter laughed "it's innuendo all the way, nudge nudge wink wink-"

With a roar of fury, the apparition shot across the gap between them and slammed into Peter. Ray yelped, stumbling back as things suddenly took a full right into bizarro territory.

Peter coughed as he was slammed into the grass, knocking the air from his lungs as his ghostly self tackled him. For a ghostly image, it had a surprising strength and as its hands locked around his neck, yet he realised it was wavering slightly as the copy let its anger get the better of it.

-Lets see how far I can REALLY push this.-

"Being serious here," he spat out "I can see right through you-"

"Shut up!" the ghostly Tobias snarled, his grip tightening a fraction around Peter's neck. "shut your worthless mouth, your body is mine-"

"Geez, at least buy me dinner first-hurk!" Peter coughed as fresh pain seared through him.

Ray made to move, to charge Tobias- anything-! Then he seen Peter wink in his direction as Tobias' anger blinded him to but his desire to throttle Peter.

* * *

Outside, Rothchild still hadn't moved an inch, this was like nothing he'd ever seen before. The shield was only growing stronger as the ghostly copy drew more of the subjects magic from him via their link. But even he sensed something was brewing as the subject went from passive shock to verbal sparring. Something had shifted the fight.

"What do we do?" Caroline asked. Rothchild hadn't noticed her arrival back, he hadn't even seen her race away to find Dr Stantz, so focused had he been on eliminating Ashwood at all costs.

* * *

"How can you joke when you're about to die?" Tobias slackened his grip on Venkman's neck only so the idiot could answer him.

"Theres a term for that, y'know. Gallows humour." Peter said as airily as he could with hands gripping his neck "I know a guy who managed to trap a spirit of DEATH in a bag. You'd be surprised what can be contained-"

"Whats your point?!" the spirit fumed, rage clouding his vision, or he would've seen what was coming. Peter took advantage of Tobias' focus being on his words, not his body. He tucked a leg up under him, reaching deep inside for enough strength to throw his other self off him. The body it'd assumed, albeit only semi-solid, was still weighty enough to kick up a cloud of dust as he hit the dirt.

Peter got up, backing away as he felt something tucked in his pants pocket bump against his leg. Pulling it out he realised it was his phone. He stared blankly at it a moment, seeing the last unread message was from Ray.

It simply said 'I Love You'.

Peter looked up at the shield and smiled.

"What are you looking so happy about?" Tobias picked himself up, drawing another surge of power to make himself more solid. This time, he'd bring that fools body within an inch of death, slow his heart just enough to resume control. The man was a weakling compared to him, he didn't stand a chance.

Peter closed his eyes, letting the memories of the fight come back. The necklace. If he could somehow make chains, he could make a grenade. The device in his hand began to heat up, he felt an oddly pleasant tingle run through his body. That last message was burned into his mind.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

Peter let it repeat in his head as he continued to back up as Tobias only shook his head, his disdainful sneer making it clear he considered Venkman of no value beyond his body.

"I don't know what you're up to, but its pointless. You have no control, you have no strength. You have nothing, whereas I? I'm the one in control here." Tobias closed his eyes, willingly taking his eye off his opponent as he revelled in the sheer level of power at his command. This was what he'd been destined for. Opening his eyes again, he regarded the figure trying vainly to get out of range of another lunging tackle. "You might as well just accept it, your only use to me is your body."

"You know, I had an ex like you." Peter said, as revulsion ran through him "Arrogant son of a- I believe he's behind bars after my friends kicked his ass and Ray punched him in the face." He chuckled "I wish I could've seen that. Not just the 'punching my ex' thing, but all of it. Seeing those freaks get their asses handed them and their precious ritual fall apart."

All the while he continued to back up, gripping the phone tightly.

"Just what ARE you doing, you pathetic fool?" Tobias burst out laughing at this shameless attempt to prolong things.

"I'm no sports guy, not physically at least. But I've learned THIS much from watching sports-" Peter grinned as he settled his body into a stance he'd picked up from numerous baseball games "you gotta have a good wind up for a pitch-!"

With that final word, he lobbed the device he'd been hiding from view. The heat it had exuded didn't burn him, and it shone brightly as Venkman threw it with all his might. It soared in a truly TV worthy arc- hitting the shield with a loud bang. For a moment it seemed as if it'd had no effect, and Tobias began to laugh- then a cracking sound interrupted him and he stared in horror as a hairline fracture became a jagged bolt, racing top to bottom in seconds. From there, more lines split off from the main impact, spiderwebbing the massive dome in a matter of seconds. The protectorate gathering quickly scattered, driven back by the glaring light of the collapsing spell.

"Duck, cutie."

Ray blinked as Peter's voice reached his ears and did as he was told, the ensuing sound of magical glass shattering almost enough to deafen him. But eventually it settled and silence flooded, as if the whole world held its breath.

* * *

Ray gawked in shock as he watched shards of the dome melt into the grass like ice spilled on hot asphalt. Peter was still standing, seemingly unaffected by the noise or the debris. Looking down at himself, Ray seen shards of dome stuck his clothing, but even as he made to brush himself down, they too melted away.

The dust settled and Tobias scowled, striding through the cloud of dust, delighting in how stunned his impending host body looked.

Rothchild squinted through the fading haze- had that witless subject just destroyed a shield with a...what HAD he thrown?

Tobias ignored the Elder and company, his attention focused on Peter as he stalked towards him. He laughed as Peter looked less confident now, fear muddying his once proud expression.

"Oh come on, you didn't think just destroying the shield would be enough did you?"

Peter bit his lip and stayed where he was, perhaps realising running was pointless now.

"You really did, didn't you? You thought getting rid of a SHIELD would be the answer?" Tobias would've laughed for a full minute, except-

"No, but then it wasn't meant to be." Peter said, expression switching in an instant to an amused smirk. Any fear faded and he drew himself up, exuding confidence once more.

"What?" the Ghostly Tobias snapped, what WAS this guy?

"It's simple, I just wanted that barrier out of the way. Makes it easier for THEM to get a lock."

Tobias heard a hum he recognised all too well from his hosts memories and spun round, while Peter grinned, diving out the way with one final cry "made ya look!"

He hit the grass, rolling to a stop beside Ray, whom he all but scooped up and hauled them both out of the way.

Way of what, exactly?

Two full power proton beams of course. From the moment he'd spotted his friends at the edge of the crowd, Peter knew he had to get them to go grab their packs. That was what all that grandstanding had been about- a delay so Winston and Egon could get kitted up. Wherever they'd been, they'd gotten to the fight just in the nick of time.

Tobias realised too late that he'd been played, but there was no time to swear his vengeance as twin beams of energy lashed around him, sending enough pain through him to destabilize the form he'd taken.

"Careful." Egon murmured as the thing shifted shape from a mimicry of their friend to a feral being that more resembled a wolfish thing made of cracking energy "hopefully two of us is enough..."

"Can you grab a trap?" Winston asked, digging his heels in and fighting to keep the beam steady. Egon shook his head, it was taking everything they had to keep the thing in place- he yelped as he was almost pulled off his feet, only sheer determination kept him from losing control of the proton beam.

Everyone else was trying both to shield their eyes and see what was going on?

Caroline stared at the blazing beams of energy in awe, this was impressive stuff. And whats more….it was WORKING. She heard the screams of the ghostly imposter as it tried in vain to break free and retake its host body. Who was kneeling by the tree, checking his (obviously) lover over.

On hearing Egon's yelp, both turned to face the scene. Peter tried to stand but up was clearly too demanding and he was forced to remain still. Ray squeezed his shoulder, brushed a kiss over his lips then took off without a word. Peter watched him run past the spirit as it flailed and thrashed. He skidded to a halt beside Egon, only pausing to unclip the trap from the others belt before looking the thing snared in the beams, right in the eyes.

"This was NEVER your place."

Then he threw the trap and slammed his hand on the pedal. Even in broad daylight, the corona of radiance emitted by the trap in its open state was on a level with the sun. Don't stare straight at it, kids. A high pitched whine filled the air as the invisible 'net' generated by the device successfully snagged the imposter ghost and began inexorably drawing it down into its seemingly limitless prison.

Peter felt ready to collapse from relief as he watched that insane copy of him, the twisted imposter- finally be drawn into the trap, screaming in fury as it went. He gave it a raised middle finger as a final salute, taking GREAT pleasure in its furious shriek- then it was done.

With a snap that seemed to outdo every other sound in the world, the trap slammed shut, ending this.

* * *

Relief fuelled Peter, letting him wobble to his feet, lifting his head as he heard footsteps running over towards him-

In a second he was swept up into an embrace, Ray's gentle arms hugging him close. Peter let his eyes flutter closed for a moment as he clutched Ray tightly, breathing in the scent of his skin and the fact he was alive.

-My sweet Ray...- he thought with a faint laugh of joy.

Over his partner's shoulder, he seen the others approaching. Ray released him so Winston could clap him on the back, almost knocking him over, save for Egon propping him up. Peter's eyes moved from one to the other, taking in the sight of ALL his friends gathered around him once more. Just like they had after the fight with his father and the legion spirit.

"Two for two, my man. Nice goin'" Winston praised, seeing a smile appear on the undoubtedly exhausted Venkman's face.

"Indeed," Egon smiled as he helped Peter stand up straight. "I haven't seen a better line up for a shot."

"See? You still got it." Ray murmured, making Peter chuckle softly.

"I would have liked to have been able to stop this thing sooner." Egon glanced at the trap he held under his arm, scowling at it.

"There wasn't any way.." Peter croaked, "it took until now for it to shore up enough to try take over."

"Explains the sleepwalking," Egon added as he glanced at the tree "it was looking for an additional source to draw from."

"Oh great, now the trees are in on it!" Peter declared light-headedly, making his friends laugh, with Ray tucking an arm around Peter and drawing him to his side. Venkman leaned sleepily against him, feeling the sudden urge to just doze off where he stood.

"Ok, someone needs their bed. C'mon, let's go-"

Winston began light-heartedly, only to be cut off something shifted in Venkman, expression sifting from tired to pained.

"Peter?" Egon frowned. Peter abruptly pushed Ray away, staggering over to the tree as a massive coughing fit him him. His legs gave way and he crumpled to the grass, but not before his friends seen; to their horror, the blood that dripped through his fingers as he pressed them to his mouth.

"Peter!" Ray cried, by his side in a flash. Peter shook his head and coughed, wiping the blood off with his sleeve.

"What's?" Winston shook his head as his stomach sank. Bringing up blood was a big red flag that there was serious damage here and he racked his brains for his advanced medics training. "that thing's gone, how is it still hurting him-?!"

"That affliction is caused by more than just having his body hijacked."

Egon turned, seeing Caroline and Marcus (he remembered them from only hours before.). The duo approached cautiously, their expressions grim.

"What are you talking about?" he asked them, standing so he was between them and Peter as Winston hurried over to join Ray, who was trying to stop Venkman from passing out from panic.

"When we spoke earlier, I brought up the matter of your friends case sounding like severe overload. It would seem I'm right. He's not equipped or trained to deal with such powerful magic, especially if, as you said, he has his fathers magic on top of that."

"I'll warrant a guess that his father is one of the 'grand magus', in terms of power at any rate. Not unlike Elder Rothchild. No mere novice can be expected to cope with that kind of untamed power, I'm guessing it's been draining him in the time prior to now?"

"Yes." Egon said "we did our best to replace what was lost via an IV, but it soon outpaced even THAT."

Marcus stepped forward as if to walk past Egon to get to Peter, but Spengler stopped him, shaking his head.

"Winston and I may have arrived late, but even WE seen what was clearly a SIEGE against Peter, led by your 'Elder' there. With the evidence so far gleaned from our talks, I don't think Peter's safety is exactly guaranteed at YOUR hands."

"Dr Spengler, please." Caroline joined Marcus "aren't you concerned-?"

"Of COURSE I am." Egon said, raising his voice for the first time in...ever, really. It was certainly loud enough to draw the rest of the Ghostbusters attentions. Even Peter, who now lay with his head resting in Ray's lap and using Stantz's waistcoat vest as a cushion, glanced over. There were smudges of blood still visible on Rays shirt, from where Peter had franticly checked him over after he'd been hit.

-Whoa, 'Gon's getting mad….huh..- Peter thought hazily, that wasn't something you seen every day. Or at all. He closed his eyes, letting the faint breeze brush over his face as he let the world tune out around him.

"I have no evidence to back up any sense of safety if we let you anywhere near Venkman. Going by whats just gone on here, there'll be a witch-hunt next! I don't care what old feud you or that Elder of yours has with Peter family- but he's not his father. This whole business has caused him enough suffering and thus I will NOT permit you to inflict any more. You can get in the way if you so wish, but I feel I should point out these things are portable nuclear weapons. Don't. EVEN."

Caroline's eyebrows nearly vanished all the way off her face so surprised was she by Spengler's defence of his long time coworker.

"Yikes." Winston chuckled uneasily, glancing at Ray "RIP those guys."

"I don't trust them either. We have to go." Ray whispered, a trembling hand resting on Venkman's shoulder "can you carry him, Winston?"

"Yeah, easy. C'mon.."

Ray nodded, helping Zeddemore gather Peter up into his arms before they both stood.

"Hmmhh….wha's goin' on?" Peter stirred, speaking sluggishly "am I drunk?"

"Yes, Peter. Utterly plastered." Winston told him, raising an eyebrow at Ray as Peter seemed to doze off after he'd spoken. That was a funny thing to say…it also became obvious Peter was getting feverish again.

Seeing them making to leave, Marcus tried one more time to get past the surprisingly fast and agile (wearing a massive piece of equipment), Egon.

"For the last time-" Egon snapped "he's not safe."

"Please hold on just a moment."

* * *

Egon stalled briefly as he heard Marie's voice cut through the ranks of stunned protectorate, many of whom were still discussing what'd just happened. Even Rothchild, whom Egon wanted to hit with an encyclopedia, turned to look as she approached.

"I observed the fight from the window after you boys ran off to investigate. This was NOT how I had hoped for the situation to be resolved."

"There was no other choice-" Rothchild began, but Ray gave him such a look he clammed up.

"There HAD to have been." He snarled "but you made it PAINFULLY clear earlier that you had it out for Peter right from the start. Forget that his own father had him abducted and tortured, forget that he tried to destroy Peter's entire life, get rid of everything that made him who he was by letting that corruptive personality into his system- forget THAT. He shared a few genetic markers with a lunatic thats gone, dragged away by vengeful spirits. Far as you were concerned, that was enough to open fire on him."

Ray shook his head as he turned to Marie "I'm sorry Madame, but we can NOT stay here a minute longer. We'll find help for Peter elsewhere, he's in too much danger if we stay."

"I understand your fear, this was not how I expected things to go. I knew bringing up the young man's name would cause SOME controversy, but even I did not anticipate such an escalation. Why did you not try to contain him?"

She directed this at Rothchild, who was staring at the unconscious figure Winston carried with an air of confusion.

"I've seen what happens when the Ashwood's unleash their power, especially since, as the body-theif boasted, he had access to all of it. I couldn't risk his escape- the last time we encountered one of his line, three of my students were killed."

"I'm sorry that had to happen," Egon said coldly "but you can't blame that incident on Peter. He's been completely ignorant of this almost his entire life, his mother made sure he'd grow up free from his father's influence. Why do you think he tried to erase Peter's personality that way? Because even HE knew he didn't have a chance of getting Peter to follow him, no matter how much he hurt him."

He shook his head "You want to know the first response Peter had once his father was done introducing himself? He punched him clear across the road. Then politely told him to go screw off or something similar."

"His involvement in this matter was not voluntary" Marie added, looking at the Elder "he was as concerned about this magic going rogue as you are. He has no reason to trust any of you now, regardless of if you have the means or wish to cure him now."

Peter coughed weakly and Marie hastened over, checking his temperature and frowning sadly.

"I know you boys have no reason to forgive the Elder his rash decisions, but this poor thing is at a dangerously low ebb. I fear he may not survive a search for an alternative. There aren't many like this left in this day and age, we're a dying breed. I will keep the Elder away for the time being, but Caroline is a dear friend and a healer to boot. Will you at least allow her to alleviate his symptoms for tonight?"

Ray hesitated, unsure if this was really best for Peter- but he heard Peter cough again and the sound was somehow worse than earlier.

He looked at Winston and Egon, both of whom didn't look ready to forgive either, but both gave miniscule nods.

"Nobody's doing anything unless we're there." Winston said as a final addendum. Marie nodded.

"What's the other guys beef? Why's he eyeing Peter like that?" Ray asked, seeing Marcus' oddly intense stare. He didn't realise he'd spoken loud enough until Marcus replied;

"I'm what's known as a binder. My expertise is in magic that can be used to suppress and control, which is often used to put limits on those who..shall we say, grow into their power a little too soon. Children especially often require markings to temper their power, otherwise…." he trailed off, the rest of his sentence going unsaid.

Or they overload. Like Peter was.

Ray looked from him to Caroline, who was looking as worried as he felt.

"Fine." he said, heart breaking with the fear he was making the wrong choice "but the rest of you need to keep some serious distance."

"If that's what it takes," Marie said calmly "for now, let's just get him inside so he can rest comfortably."

Winston strode back towards the house, his intimidating glare enough to send the junior protectorates scrambling like frightened highschoolers.


End file.
